Nabucco pipeline Issue
Nabucco pipeline or the Turkey–Austria gas pipeline is a proposed natural gas pipeline from Erzurum in Turkey to Baumgarten an der March in Austria diversifying 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 Gazprom-Eni South Stream pipeline project. At the same time, there are some doubts concerning viability of supplies. The main supplier is expected to be Iraq with potential supplies from Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, and Egypt. An 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. If built, the pipeline is expected to be operational by 2017.
The consortium has submitted also a modified project called Nabucco-West, which does not include the Turkish section of the pipeline As of 2012, some analysts declare Nabucco is unlikely to be built due to changed political situation and competing projects. The final investment decision by the Nabucco consortium is expected in 2012.
In May 2012, the Nabucco consortium had proposed a new pipeline to the group developing the Shah Deniz II natural gas field in Azerbaijan. The project is a downscaled version of its ambitious Nabucco natural gas pipeline project.
Known as Nabucco West, the proposal tacitly suggests that the previous Nabucco project has been terminated. Meanwhile, Azerbaijan and Turkey have been in discussions over a new pipeline, called the Trans-Anatolian Pipeline, which would carry natural gas from Turkey’s border with Georgia to its border with Bulgaria.
It would have a capacity of approximately 17 billion cubic meters (bcm) and would cost roughly $6 billion. The new Nabucco West pipeline would be roughly one-third the length of the originally conceived pipeline and could cost about $6 billion — roughly half that of the original line.
