Azerbaijan, Baku, May 6 / Trend A.Badalova/
'Open season' capacity marketing process is launched within Nabucco West gas pipeline project, Nabucco Gas Pipeline International GmbH reported on Monday.
According to the report, the first phase of the 'Open season' process for capacity booking in the Nabucco pipeline offers potential shippers the possibility to register their interest in booking capacity in the pipeline and request access to the 'Open Season' documents, following which they can provide non-binding capacity bookings.
The 'Open Season' documents include the details of the 'Open Season' process, the form of the gas transportation agreement and related network code, setting out the terms and conditions proposed by the transporter for transportation services through the Nabucco pipeline.
According to Nabucco Gas Pipeline International GmbH CEO, Reinhard Mitschek, once constructed, the Nabucco pipeline will offer producers and shippers access to the growing markets of South Eastern and Central Europe, as well as augmenting their access to the Central European Gas Hub at Baumgarten. "The Open Season process will be conducted according to the principles of open access and supply diversification," Mitschek said.
Nabucco West is a short-cut version of Nabucco project, which provides for the construction of the pipeline from the Turkish-Bulgarian border to Austria. The project is proposed to connect with the Trans Anatolian Pipeline (TANAP) at the Turkish-Bulgarian border, transiting Hungary, Bulgaria and Romania to the Central European Gas Hub in Baumgarten, Austria.
The project's current shareholders are Bulgarian Energy Holding, Romanian Transgaz, Turkish Botas, Austrian OMV and Hungary's FGSZ. Gas, which will be produced during the second stage of Azerbaijani Shah Deniz field development is considered as the main source for the project.
Currently the Shah Deniz Consortium is considering two options for transporting its gas to the European markets - Nabucco West and TAP.
The final decision on the pipeline route to transport Azerbaijani gas to Europe will be made in June, 2013.