Summit to give fresh impetus to Nabucco
Güncelleme Tarihi:
Reuters
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Ocak 26, 2009 00:00
BUDAPEST - The recent conflict between Russia and Ukraine has given fresh impetus to plans to build the Nabucco pipeline, according to a Hungarian official. Parties to Nabucco, including EU officials, are set to meet in Budapest on Tuesday to try to breathe new life into the project.
The gas dispute between Russia and Ukraine has given fresh impetus to plans to build a pipeline through Turkey and the Balkans to bring Central Asian gas to Western Europe.
At the instigation of Hungary, European Union and Central Asian officials will meet in Budapest on Tuesday to try to breathe new life into the 10 billion euro Nabucco scheme and reduce Europe's dependence on Russian gas.
"There is not a [public relations] campaign in the world that could have given the Nabucco as much attention as the Russian-Ukrainian dispute did," Hungarian Government Spokeswoman Bernadett Budai said yesterday. "This is the best opportunity in years to make progress."
The contract row between Moscow and Kiev led to a cutoff of supplies of Russian gas affecting millions of people in central Europe in early January.
The Nabucco plan envisions piping gas 3,300 kilometers from the Caspian region through Turkey, Bulgaria, Romania and Hungary to a distribution hub in Austria. Nabucco aims to meet 5 percent of Europe's gas needs.
Progress has been slow and insiders say any one of a series of obstacles could sink the project. Expectations are not high for Tuesday's talks, which will be attended by consortium members Austria, Bulgaria, Germany, Hungary, Romania and Turkey.
Also present will be Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek, representing the EU presidency, as well as EU Energy Commissioner Andris Piebalgs, government representatives from Azerbaijan and Iraq and corporate officials from Turkmenistan.
High on the list of difficulties are securing enough gas supplies and a dispute with Turkey over a demand by Ankara to keep a net 15 percent of the gas that would flow through the pipeline.
Turkey's five partners want it to serve as a transit country that would not use any of the annual 30 billion cubic meters of gas the pipeline will eventually carry.
A Turkish energy official said last week Ankara expected to settle this and other outstanding issues in Budapest this week.
Nabucco's inability to secure enough sources of gas has been the biggest threat and critics say only Russia, which is planning its own rival scheme known as the South Stream, has the gas and infrastructure to supply the pipeline.
Russian officials have expressed skepticism about its eventual success.
"Nabucco could be a monument to great ambitions and actions not thought through properly," Viktor Zubkov, Russia's first deputy prime minister and Gazprom's chairman said when asked in Budapest over the weekend if Nabucco could survive without Russian gas.
Without gas supplies and no deal between member governments, the pipeline's financing is still in doubt.
Banks are unwilling to come up with cash until an intergovernmental agreement has been signed, long-term conditions have been established and supplies are secured.
At the instigation of Hungary, European Union and Central Asian officials will meet in Budapest on Tuesday to try to breathe new life into the 10 billion euro Nabucco scheme and reduce Europe's dependence on Russian gas.
"There is not a [public relations] campaign in the world that could have given the Nabucco as much attention as the Russian-Ukrainian dispute did," Hungarian Government Spokeswoman Bernadett Budai said yesterday. "This is the best opportunity in years to make progress."
The contract row between Moscow and Kiev led to a cutoff of supplies of Russian gas affecting millions of people in central Europe in early January.
The Nabucco plan envisions piping gas 3,300 kilometers from the Caspian region through Turkey, Bulgaria, Romania and Hungary to a distribution hub in Austria. Nabucco aims to meet 5 percent of Europe's gas needs.
Progress has been slow and insiders say any one of a series of obstacles could sink the project. Expectations are not high for Tuesday's talks, which will be attended by consortium members Austria, Bulgaria, Germany, Hungary, Romania and Turkey.
Also present will be Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek, representing the EU presidency, as well as EU Energy Commissioner Andris Piebalgs, government representatives from Azerbaijan and Iraq and corporate officials from Turkmenistan.
High on the list of difficulties are securing enough gas supplies and a dispute with Turkey over a demand by Ankara to keep a net 15 percent of the gas that would flow through the pipeline.
Turkey's five partners want it to serve as a transit country that would not use any of the annual 30 billion cubic meters of gas the pipeline will eventually carry.
A Turkish energy official said last week Ankara expected to settle this and other outstanding issues in Budapest this week.
Nabucco's inability to secure enough sources of gas has been the biggest threat and critics say only Russia, which is planning its own rival scheme known as the South Stream, has the gas and infrastructure to supply the pipeline.
Russian officials have expressed skepticism about its eventual success.
"Nabucco could be a monument to great ambitions and actions not thought through properly," Viktor Zubkov, Russia's first deputy prime minister and Gazprom's chairman said when asked in Budapest over the weekend if Nabucco could survive without Russian gas.
Without gas supplies and no deal between member governments, the pipeline's financing is still in doubt.
Banks are unwilling to come up with cash until an intergovernmental agreement has been signed, long-term conditions have been established and supplies are secured.