NABUCCO PROJECT GETS SECOND WIND

PanARMENIAN.Net
10.02.2010 16:45 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Nabucco project hasn’t failed yet, according to
Ruben Mehrabyan, expert at the Armenian Center of Political and
International Studies.

"Russia has succeeded in putting obstacles to implementation of
the project but this country is no longer the regional monopolist,"
he told a news conference on Wednesday.

Although, Mr. Mehrabyan added, Russia is "historically responsible
for the Caucasus."

The Nabucco pipeline is a proposed natural gas pipeline from Turkey
to Austria diversifying the current natural gas suppliers and delivery
routes for Europe. The pipeline attempts to lessen European dependence
on Russian energy. The project is backed by several European Union
states and the United States and is seen as rival to the planned
Gazprom-led South Stream pipeline project. At the same time there
are some doubts concerning viability of supplies. The main supplier
is expected to be Azerbaijan in cooperation with Turkmenistan, Iraq
and Egypt.

Preparations for the Nabucco project started in 2002 and the
intergovernmental agreement between Turkey, Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary
and Austria was signed on 13 July 2009. The project is developed
by the consortium of six companies. The pipeline is expected to be
operational by 2015 and it will carry 31 billion cubic meters of
natural gas per year.