VIENNA, March 29 (UPI) -- The Nabucco West natural gas pipeline is the most competitive project for the Shah Deniz consortium in Azerbaijan, the project's chief executive officer said.
Nabucco Gas Pipeline International GmbH announced it submitted a pipeline support decision package that contains elements that it says shows the proposal is a win-win situation for shippers and producers alike.
"We are pleased to offer the Shah Deniz II consortium the most competitive package to facilitate their final route decision," Nabucco Chief Executive Officer Reinhard Mitschek said in a statement.
Nabucco West, a scaled down version of an original proposal, is up against the rival Trans-Adriatic Pipeline, which submitted a competing bid to the BP-led consortium working offshore Azerbaijan. Mitschek's group says the Nabucco project is the only one that provides "direct access to the entire Balkan markets as well as to Italy and Greece."
Nabucco would connect to an overland pipeline in Turkey. TAP would move gas through the Adriatic Sea to Italy.
Nabucco says it would make Azeri natural gas available to 500 million European consumers. Europe includes both projects in its planned Southern Corridor of transit networks meant to ensure energy independence from Russia.
The BP-led group will make a decision by June.
