European Commission is neutral on Southern Gas Corridor pipeline choice
The European Commission is neutral on which Southern Gas Corridor's pipeline will transport gas to the European markets, a source in the Energy Department of the European Commission told Trend news agency.
"The aim of the Commission has always been to open the Southern Gas Corridor for the EU in order to directly and physically link the EU gas market to the largest deposits of gas in the world in the Caspian Sea basin and the Middle East," the source said.
"But the Commission is neutral where the gas ends up in Europe, and the Commission supports all pipelines in the EU," the source added.
The Southern Corridor is one of the EU's priority energy projects aimed at diversifying the routes and sources of energy supply, thereby increasing secure delivery. Gas which will be produced during the second stage of the Azerbaijani Shah Deniz field development is considered as the main source for the Southern Gas Corridor projects.
Currently, the Shah Deniz consortium is considering two options for its gas transportation to Europe - Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) and Nabucco West. The final decision on the pipeline route will be made in June, 2013.
The European Commission's policy, according to the source, aims to have a dedicated pipeline to be built outside the EU.
"And if its capacity is limited at the start, it should be ensured to legally and technically increase the capacity to transport higher volumes at a later stage when these become available, i.e. making the pipeline capacity scalable," the source said.
"And secondly, we want a clear and transparent legal framework for the pipeline which would ensure uninterrupted gas supply to the EU," the source added.