Kazakhstan has no gas for Nabucco, its envoy says
BAKU – Kazakhstan currently does not have spare gas volumes intended for exports, Kazakh Ambassador to Azerbaijan Serik Primbetov said Wednesday, commenting on the Central Asian state’s possible participation in the Nabucco pipeline project.
"We are mainly an oil supplying country," he said. "At present, we do not have any spare gas. We pump the available gas back into the reservoir to increase pressure during oil production."
Primbetov said Kazakhstan is facing problems with supplying its southern regions with gas, where the demand for fuel is met by Uzbek gas. He said operations were underway to lay a gas pipeline to resolve the problem.
According to a BP report in 2009, Kazakhstan's proven gas reserves are estimated at 1.82 trillion cubic meters. The country produced 32.2 billion cubic meters of gas last year.
In 2010, Kazakhstan’s gas exports are to make up 9bn cubic meters, or almost one-third more than in 2009.
Primbetov also said one of the main potential suppliers for Nabucco is Turkmenistan, which has huge gas reserves, in particular those available at its South Yolotan field.
The Nabucco project aims to decrease the European Union’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. Azerbaijan is one of the potential suppliers for the Nabucco pipeline as well.
Nabucco shareholders with equal stakes are Austrian OMV, Hungarian MOL, Bulgarian Bulgargaz, Romanian Transgaz, Turkish Botas and German RWE.
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