Nabucco OK for gas supplies?

BAKU, Azerbaijan, Nov. 6 (UPI) -- There are enough gas supplies in the Middle East and Caspian region to meet the capacity requirements for the Nabucco pipeline, officials say.

Europe aims to diversify its gas sector and enhance energy security with the Nabucco pipeline. Despite political backing for the project, potential suppliers are slow to come forward with firm commitments.

Nevertheless, Christian Dolezal, a spokesman for the Nabucco pipeline consortium, tells the Azeri news service News.Az that there are several options to fill the pipeline.

"There are sufficient gas reserves around in the Middle East, the Caspian region and Egypt to fill Nabucco," he said. "The negotiations are ongoing between gas traders and supply countries and the gas traders will decide where the gas finally comes from."

The Nabucco consortium announced recently it was moving forward with international lenders on the key financing parameters for the project.

An intergovernmental agreement on the project was signed in July by transit countries Turkey, Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary and Austria.

On Azerbaijan, Dolezal said he considered the gas-rich nation as a potential partner.

"Azerbaijan is already an important gas supplier in the region and, with Nabucco, Azerbaijan could sell its gas for the first time directly to the European market," he said.