Nabucco Advisor: Pipelines Need to Unite

Nabucco gas pipeline advisor Joschka Fischer says that Europe needs to unify three competing natural gas pipeline projects in order to ensure it diversifies from Russia.

Fischer, a strong lobbiest for European gas supply diversification and an advisor to the EU-backed Nabucco gas pipeline project on political matters, said Nabucco and the competing pipeline projects would all benefit from being merged into one project.

"We have to try to integrate several European projects into one. There's a strong wish also in Brussels to do this, and I think this is doable," Fischer said.

Leading EU officials have increasingly discussed unifying Nabucco and two other leading proposed lines in recent weeks. Fischer's comments are significant because he is closely identified with the Nabucco project, which has been the preferred option of leading EU officials.

However, a merger of the European gas pipelines “isn’t up for discussion” among the venture’s partners, Christian Dolezal, a spokesman for Nabucco, said today in an e-mailed statement, reports Bloomberg.

Fischer also said the destiny of the Nabucco gas pipeline most likely will be determined within the next month's time, with reference to negotiations between the Nabucco partners and potential Central Asian supplier countries.

The  Nabucco pipeline partners are currently is key negotiations  with Azerbaijan's government and state oil company over possible future supply from the country's large Shah Deniz II gas field.  The Russian led South Stream pipeline as well as the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline and the Interconnector-Turkey-Greece-Italy line are wooing Azerbaijan for gas supply from Shah Deniz II.

The Nabucco pipeline is scheduled to open in 2015 and in following years to reach its maximum capacity of 31 bcm. The TAP and ITGI projects will both have a capacity of about 10 bcm.