AGRI - a possible alternative to Nabucco

Azerbaijan to deliver liquefied gas to Romania through the territory of Georgia

Yesterday the presidents of Romania, Georgia and Azerbaijan, Traian Basescu, Mikhail Saakashvili and Ilkham Aliyev,e started the realization of an extremely important agreement on liquefied gas delivery. Azerbaijan is now going to deliver liquefied gas to Romania through the territory of Georgia.

The corresponding document was signed on April 13th, 2010 in Bucharest. In the framework of the AGRI (Azerbaijan-Georgia-Romania Interconnector) project a new gas-liquefying plant is to be built in Azerbaijan and several terminals in Georgia, on the cost of the Black Sea. The estimated total cost of the project is $2-4 billion: during the period of the project's realization 7 billion of cubic meters of gas will be delivered to Romania.

The project seems to be very promising. In the long-term Azerbaijan will be able to deliver gas not only to Romania, but also Hungary, Bulgaria and other European countries. Such countries as Ukraine and Turkmenistan seem to be interested in the project as well. All this makes the AGRI project a serious alternative to Nabucco.

Elvira Tariverdieva, Baku. Exclusively for VK.