Azernews.Az

SARAJEVO/BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA – In an effort to diversify its gas supplies Bosnian gas distributor BH-Gas has requested Turkish company Botas to assist the gas distributor to get connected to the planned Nabucco and TAP pipelines.

Botas is a member of the Nabucco consortium.

The Nabucco pipeline project aims to decrease the EU's dependence on Russian imports by bringing Caspian gas to a hub in Austria via the Balkans. The gas would be shipped to Europe via Turkey, Bulgaria, Romania and Hungary. Construction of Nabucco will begin in 2011, as the recent gas crisis between Russia and Ukraine has convinced decision-makers of the need to speed up the project.

Bosnian gas importer BH-Gas said cooperation with Turkish pipeline operator Botas would enable it to join the European Union-backed Nabucco gas pipeline, Sarajevo-based media reported.

BH-Gas imports over 300 million cubic meters of gas annually from Russia via neighboring Serbia.

Bosnia can also receive gas through the Trans Adriatic Pipeline, which is one of several options aimed at supplying Caspian gas to Europe.

Memorandum of understanding
The cooperation between the two companies in this and other areas will be defined in a memorandum of understanding due to be signed at the end of September or the beginning of October in Ankara, daily Nezavisne Novine (www.nezavisne.com) reported on Wednesday, quoting BH-Gas CEO Almir Becarevic as telling a news conference following his meeting with Botas officials.

Becarevic said that, in addition to providing an opportunity to join the Nabucco project, the cooperation with the Turkish company would help diversify gas supplies to Bosnia and improve their reliability.

Bosnia, with an average annual gas consumption of some 340 million cubic metres, currently gets all of its natural gas supplies from Russia via a single pipeline coming from its eastern neighbour Serbia.

Becarevic said that, through Nabucco, the Balkan country will be able to receive natural gas also from Azerbaijan and Iraq.

The project, worth 7.9 billion euro, is managed by Vienna-based Nabucco Gas Pipeline International. Partners in the project company with equal stakes of 16.67% are the Austrian OMV, Hungarian MOL, Bulgarian Bulgargaz, Romanian Transgaz, Turkish Botas and German RWE.

The construction of the pipeline is planned to start next year with gas is expected to start flowing in 2014.