Azernews.Az

German utility RWE analyses the conditions of Nabucco gas pipeline project`s new version, Nabucco West, and its ability to meet Europe`s strategic goals, Barbara Minderjahn, head of public affairs at RWE Supply and Trading, told Azerbaijani news agency Trend.

Minderjahn said the plans for new pipeline projects change general conditions for the Nabucco project. She added, ``We currently carefully analyze whether we can meet our commercial and strategic goals under these conditions.``

Nabucco West is a short-cut version of the Nabucco project, which envisages construction of a pipeline from the Turkish-Bulgarian border to Austria. According to the original concept of the Nabucco project, a 3,900 km pipeline is to be laid from the Georgian-Turkish and Iraqi-Turkish borders to the Austrian Baumgarten.

Analysts say the Nabucco project`s original concept lost the chances for implementation after Azerbaijan and Turkey announced plans to build their own pipeline - Trans Anatolian Pipeline (TANAP) from the eastern border of Turkey to the country`s western border.

RWE however believes that the initial Nabucco version would be the best solution for all stakeholders, producers, customers, and grid operators.

``With the original Nabucco project RWE wants to secure as much Caspian gas for Europe and for Germany as possible,`` Minderjahn said.

She said the upcoming decision of the consortium developing Azerbaijan`s Shah Deniz gas-condensate field in the Caspian Sea to select an export pipeline will be very important for the company.

Currently the Shah Deniz consortium considers options to export gas to central Europe, which include Nabucco West and SEEP. The pipeline route will be chosen by late June.

Azerbaijan intends to export 10 billion cubic meters per year to Europe within the Shah Deniz-2 project.

The shareholders of the Nabucco project are Bulgarian Energy Holding, Romanian Transgaz, Turkish Botas, Austrian OMV, German RWE and Hungary`s FGSZ.