Azerbaijan, Baku, May 22 / Trend, E.Mehdiyev /
Azerbaijan plays a critical role in increasing alternative supplies for NATO allies, U.S. Ambassador to Azerbaijan, Richard Morningstar said during his speech at NATO partnership conference "Emerging Security Challenges: Enhancing Energy Security in the XXI Century" on Wednesday.
"Next month we expect the Shah Deniz Consortium to make a decision on the final additional pipeline route to bring Azerbaijani gas to Europe," Morningstar said.
According to Morningstar, the United States is neutral on which pipeline project will be chosen by the Shah Deniz Consortium - Nabucco West or Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP).
The project to be chosen will diversify Europe's gas supplies and provide scaleable means of transporting future Azerbaijani gas to Europe, he said.
"Turkey also plays a crucial role both in providing outlook for producing nations and facilitating the diversification of Europe's gas supplies," Morningstar said.
He stressed that Azerbaijan and Turkey's dedication to build Trans-Anatolian gas pipeline (TANAP) is a physical testimony to their commitment to building this energy bridge.
Currently, the Shah Deniz consortium considers two options for its gas transportation to Europe - TAP and Nabucco West. The final decision on the pipeline route will be made in June, 2013.
Nabucco West is a short-cut version of Nabucco project, which provides for construction of a pipeline from the Turkish-Bulgarian border to Austria.
Nabucco West project's current shareholders are Bulgarian Energy Holding, Romanian Transgaz, Turkish Botas, Austrian OMV and Hungary's FGSZ.
TAP project is designed to transport gas from the Caspian region via Greece and Albania and across the Adriatic Sea to the south of Italy, and further to Western Europe. TAP's initial pipeline capacity will be 10 billion cubic meters per year, but it is easily expandable to 20 billion cubic meters per year. TAP's shareholders are Switzerland's AXPO (42.5 percent), Norway's Statoil (42.5 percent) and Germany's E.ON Ruhrgas of (15 percent).
Gas to be produced within the second phase of Azerbaijani Shah Deniz gas condensate field development is considered as the main source for both projects.