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Piebalgs to go on Nabucco tour on November 5
EU Energy Commissioner Andris Piebalgs
EU Energy Commissioner Andris Piebalgs is going to Turkey, Georgia, Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan as part of his effort to implement the Nabucco natural gas pipeline that will carry Caspian gas to the European markets. “The Commissioner is going to make the Nabucco trip. The Commissioner is going to Turkey, Georgia, Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan on one go,” Ferran Tarradellas Espuny, spokesman for EU Energy Commissioner Andris Piebalgs, told New Europe on October 28, adding that Piebalgs plans to begin his trip on November 5.
“We are going to publish a diary of the trip. In his blog we are going to make a daily entry from the Commissioner explaining his experiences in this country,” the EU energy spokesman said.
The Nabucco plans to bring Caspian and Middle Eastern gas from Turkey to OMV's Austrian gas hub via Bulgaria, Romania and Hungary, and become operational in 2013.
Piebalgs, who has said Europe needs to examine several alternative energy supplies and has been very active in backing Nabucco in the recent months, hopes to secure a political commitment from the Caspian countries that they are willing to supply the EU-backed project.
The Nabucco project, which will bypass Russia and reduce European dependence on Gazprom supplies, faces a challenge from a rival Gazprom pipeline, South Stream, which is due to bring more Russian gas to south-eastern and central Europe to meet growing demand. Russia's recent war with Georgia -- a transit route for Caspian oil and gas -- has also undermined Nabucco.
However, Tarradellas Espuny told New Europe earlier that the Georgian crisis has highlighted the need for diversifying EU gas supplies. The EU relies on Russia for about 20 percent of its natural gas imports.
The participants of Nabucco include the Austrian OMV, Hungarian MOL, Bulgarian Bulgargaz, Romanian Transgaz, Turkish Botas and German RWE. Each of the participants holds equal shares – 16.67 percent each.
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