Turkey to definitely finalize Nabucco: energy minister

Talks regarding the Nabucco project have progressed rapidly, and studies on the project were submitted to the European Union (EU) and other related institutions, Hilmi Guler said at a news conference at Turkey's Embassy in Baku, in Azerbaijan, the Anatolian Agency reported. 

Commenting on the BTC oil pipeline, Guler said safety of the pipelines was very important and there was no problem with the security systems.

The Nabucco pipeline is aimed at diversifying the EU’s energy supplies and decreasing its energy dependence on Russia. The EU-backed pipeline, a 3,300-kilometre (2,050-mile) pipeline is planned to run via Turkey, Bulgaria, Romania, and Hungary to Austria.

A consortium made up of Austria's OMV, Germany's RWE, Hungary's MOL, Turkey's Botas, Bulgaria's Bulgargaz and Romania's Transgaz will build and operate the pipeline.

Guler also said the security of the BTC oil pipeline was not risky and there were no problem about security systems.

The gendarmerie forces did not find any evidence of sabotage regarding the blast on the Turkey section of BTC, however added that an investigation was underway.

The BTC, the world's second-longest pipeline at 1,774 kilometers (1,109 miles), was closed on Aug. 5 after a blast in a pump at a section in eastern Turkey sparked a fire. The terror organization, PKK, claimed responsibility for the blast, though Turkish officials had said they had found no indication of foul play.

The BTC was inaugurated in 2006 and carries Azeri oil from the Caspian Sea fields to Ceyhan. It can transport 1.2 million barrels of crude per day.

Photo: Fahir Arikan