France’s Total and Gaz de France, Germany’s E.ON and RWE, a Polish, and a Japanese company are all said to be interested in the 3300-km long gas pipeline from the Caspian Region to Central and Western Europe, known as the Nabucco project. The two new entrants will be granted less than 20% participation in Nabucco Gas Pipeline International Ltd, the company that will design and operate the facility, Mr Gegov said.
Nabucco Gas Pipeline International Ltd is a commercial partnership between Turkish state-owned company Botas, Bulgargaz, Hungary’s MOL, Austria’s OMV, and Romania’s Transgaz in which each company controls 20%. The pipeline will pump 13.5 to 16b cum/yr of gas annually to Central and Western Europe; construction is expected to get underway in late 2007 or early 2008, with 2011 as the completion target.