The participants reinforced their commitment to the Nabucco West project by signing a ministerial statement during a consultation of the Nabucco Commission on 8 October 2012 in Vienna. Head of the Hungarian delegation Pál Kovács, Minister of State for Climate Change and Energy welcomed this definite step towards Europe’s energy independence.

As a competing project for bringing gas from the Shah Deniz II field in Azerbaijan through Turkey to Europe, the Nabucco West delivery route is an alternative to the TAP (Trans-Adriatic Pipeline) project planned to run through Greece and Albania towards Southern Italy. In addition to political and legal considerations, producers will deliberate commercial criteria when deciding on the final route.

The statement signed by Austria, Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania and Turkey is expected to reinforce the Shah Deniz Consortium in its intention to join the company as a shareholder. Participation by the consortium would accelerate consultations on the implementation schedule of the gas pipeline. Representing Nabucco Gas Pipeline GmbH, Hans-Peter Floren outlined the measures taken towards the implementation of the Nabucco West project and the outcomes of the consultations.

He pointed out that the planned pipeline represented a route diversification for all the affected countries and consumers and provided for direct connections to the Central European Gas Hub in Baumgarten. Managing Director of Nabucco Gas Pipeline GmbH Reinhard Mitschek added that the Nabucco West was a project designed with a capacity that could be increased or extended, and as such it offered an opportunity for delivering gas also from sources other than Shah Deniz.

(MTI - Hungarian News Agency)