U.S. Interested on Shipping Azeri Gas on Nabucco Pipeline

BAKU. April 10 (Interfax) – The United States wants Azeri gas to be exported on the Nabucco pipeline linking Central Asia and Europe.

U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Matthew Bryza made the remark to Azerbaijan’s Lider TV channel, commenting on the energy security memorandum between the U.S. and Azerbaijan signed by U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mamedyarov.

The main provision of the memorandum is that the U.S. and Azerbaijan undertake to work together with Azerbaijan’s western and eastern neighbors and potential investors to expand Azerbaijan’s gas production, Bryza said.

The 3,300-km Nabucco pipeline would carry gas from Central Asia through Turkey to Austria. The project costs about 4.6 billion euro. The pipeline will have capacity to ship 26 billion to 32 billion cubic meters per year. The project is expected to begin operating in 2011.

The participants in the Nabucco project are Botas of Turkey, Bulgargaz, Romania’s S.N.T.G.N. Transgaz S.A., Hungary’s MOL Natural Gas Transmission Company Ltd. and OMV Gas GmbH of Austria. India’s gas monopoly GAIL Limited has also been invited to participate in the project.

(c) 2007 Daily News Bulletin; Moscow – English. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.