London pushes Nabucco pipeline
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown called for more funding for the Nabucco natural gas pipeline to counter Russian energy holdings in Europe.
Brown said Russia cannot continue to use oil and gas to pursue its foreign policy objectives and called for an overhaul of British relations with Moscow should the Kremlin continue to deter European moves to diversify its energy market, The Observer said.
"No nation can be allowed to exert an energy stranglehold over Europe," the prime minister said.
Many European nations view the conflict between Russia and Georgia over the breakaway republic of South Ossetia as extortion in the energy sector as the second-longest gas pipeline, the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan route, runs near the republic.
Use of BTC and its arteries was interrupted for several days in August as conflict broke out in the region.
Brown said Europe should target more funding for the Nabucco pipeline planned from Turkey to Austria, through Bulgaria, Romania and Hungary, as a way to contain Russian moves in the energy market.
Europe warned Russia over its military action in the region in a meeting this week, but threats to the regional energy supply are expected to take precedence as alternative routes around Russia are examined.
Brown said Europe should work toward establishing a unified European energy market as a "collective defense" against Russia.
Georgian conflict boosts Iranian energy options
Iranian oil agencies said a move by Azerbaijan to channel oil exports through the Islamic Republic prompted further investment in offshore terminals.
Iranian Oil Terminal Co. Director Mousa Souri said Azerbaijan last week started oil exports through Iran, with Iran delivering as much as 10,000 barrels of crude oil per day from the Caspian port of Neka.
Azerbaijan looked to alternate export routes as the conflict between Russia and Georgia over the breakaway republic of South Ossetia suspended shipments through the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline and its secondary arteries.
Souri said the move prompted Tehran to funnel more finances to oil terminals in the Persian Gulf and the Caspian Sea, the Tehran Times said.
The $3.5 billion Jask oil terminal in the Gulf of Oman is expected to go online by 2011.
Meanwhile, National Iranian Gas Co. Director Reza Kassaeizadeh said a sour gas pipeline from the Iranian port city of Assaluyeh on the Persian Gulf coast to Agha Jari went online over the weekend.
The 313-mile, "56-inch pipeline will transfer sour gas from the South Pars gas field phases 6, 7 and 8 to be injected to Agha Jari oilfield," the director said.
Pakistan urges haste on IPI pipeline
The Pakistani Senate called for swift action to proceed with the Iran-Pakistan-India natural gas pipeline as the energy crisis in Pakistan grows more severe.
The Pakistani Standing Committee on Petroleum and Natural Resources called on the government to work quickly on the deal to bring gas from the Iranian South Pars field to Central Asia, saying Pakistani consumption was far outpacing domestic supplies, Pakistan's The Dawn reported.
The committee suggested members may visit Tehran soon to mitigate outstanding issues that have delayed implementation of the planned 1,724-mile pipeline.
Pakistani officials issued warnings that domestic gas fields were exhausted and there were no alternative sources of natural gas in the country.
All parties to the IPI pipeline were expected to meet in July, but India called for additional time while it negotiated a civilian nuclear program with the United States.
Serbia backs construction of South Stream
Serbian Prime Minister Mirko Cvetkovic said his Parliament has given its full consent to move forward with the construction of the South Stream natural gas pipeline.
Cvetkovic said his government was "standing by everything" for the line set to replace portions of the Blue Stream pipeline from Russia to Turkey and then through Bulgaria and Serbia to Hungary and Austria, Serbian news agency B92 said.
The move follows the approval of a section of South Stream Friday by the Greek Parliament.
Greek officials called the ratification of the agreement a "historic" development.
Russia says the South Stream project will rival the Western-backed Nabucco pipeline, though South Stream is plagued by financial and environmental concerns.
The $10 billion South Stream pipeline is expected to transport around 1.1 trillion cubic feet of natural gas per year.
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