Azerbaijan, Baku, Oct. 17 / Trend A.Badalova /
Front End Engineering and Design (FEED) for Nabucco West is expected to be finalized in the fourth quarter of 2012, the presentation of Nabucco Gas Pipeline International GmbH said.
For the time being FEED for the project has been completed by 80 percent. The results of detailed engineering will enable to set the cost of the Nabucco project.
Nabucco West is a short-cut version of Nabucco project, which envisages construction of the pipeline from Turkish-Bulgarian border to Austria.
In June the consortium of Azerbaijani Shah Deniz gas field development chose Nabucco West as the single pipeline option for the potential export of Shah Deniz Stage 2 gas to Central Europe.
The project's current shareholders are Bulgarian Energy Holding, Romanian Transgaz, Turkish Botas, Austrian OMV, German RWE and Hungary's FGSZ, and each of them holds 16.67-percent share.
According to the presentation, among the next steps that will be taken before the construction of the pipeline starts, are: completion of the negotiations with the Shah Deniz consortium and selection of Nabucco West as the final export route; launch of the "open season" capacity marketing process; conclusion of the first gas transportation agreements; finalisation of the procurement strategy and the contracting strategy; start of procurement process activities; finalization of ESIA (Environmental and Social Impact Assessment); acquisition of rights of way and construction permits; final investment decision and financial close.