Brussels still has hopes for Nabucco West

The Nabucco West pipeline, which lost a contest to transport Azeri gas to Europe, is still on a list of projects eligible for EU cash, implying the European Commission still believes it could be built, EU diplomats said.

The Commission, the EU executive, is expected next month to publish a final list of projects judged significant to more than one EU nation and entitled to accelerated planning approval as well as consideration for money from the EU budget.

Commission officials declined to disclose the content of the list before publication.

But the diplomats, speaking on condition of anonymity, said it included the Nabucco West scheme, led by OMV, as well as the Trans Atlantic Pipeline (TAP), which was selected by the Shah Deniz gas consortium to carry gas to Europe, Reuters reports.

Commission officials have repeatedly said Nabucco West is not dead and could one day be built if more Caspian gas becomes available.