Turkmenistan called key to Nabucco

ANKARA, Turkey, Feb. 11 (UPI) -- Turkmenistan has the potential to emerge as a top gas-producing nation, making the Nabucco pipeline to Europe likely, company officials said.

Reinhard Mitschek, managing director of the Nabucco gas pipeline consortium, said the planned 2,051-mile project would be a major export route for Turkmenistan to ferry its vast gas reserves to markets in China, Russia, Europe and Iran, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported.

A disruptive January row between Ukraine and Russia put the Nabucco pipeline at the top of a European agenda to diversify its energy sector away from dependency on Russian sources.

Surveys in 2008 found the project overbooked in terms of early commitments from Caspian and Middle Eastern suppliers, though some analysts have raised concerns the project could not move forward without Iranian gas.

There are several meetings planned for the Nabucco pipeline in 2009, with a key meeting scheduled tentatively in Ankara in April. Turkey would host the largest portion of the pipeline.

Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek plans to discuss Nabucco Friday during a visit to Turkmenistan. The Czech Republic holds the EU presidency currently.