PARTNERSHIP OF GAZ DE FRANCE TO NABUCCO PROJECT POSTPONED
Turkish Press
April 6 2007
ANKARA – Partnership of the "Gaz De France" to the Nabucco Project
envisaging construction of a pipeline to transport Azerbaijani and
Iranian natural gas to Europe through Turkey, has been suspended for
a while.
Sources said that Omv of Austria, Mol of Hungary, Bulgargaz of
Bulgaria and Transgaz of Romania accepted Gaz de France`s becoming
the 6th partner of the project while Petroleum Pipeline Cort (BOTAS)
of Turkey put reservations.
Approval of a bill on so-called Armenian genocide by the French
parliament last year influenced the Turkish party`s decision.
Meanwhile, construction of the 3,300 km-kilometre pipeline is expected
to begin in 2008 and is planned to be finished in 2012.
The construction is estimated to cost 4.6 billion euro. The cost is
to be shared among the five gas companies in each of the countries.
The transport capacity of the pipeline will reach up to 25.5 billion
cubic meters per year in the long term, around or after 2020.