The US doubts the Nabucco gas pipeline will be realized, Richard Morningstar, Special Envoy of the United States Secretary of State for Eurasian Energy, said at a conference on the issue in Kiev.
Morningstar believes that construction of the pipeline will need time and faces problems with its filling. The EU should concentrate on gas supplies through the Southern Gas Corridor to the most energy-vulnerable states, including the Balkans, the US official reckons. The plans may be realized with the Interconnect project with Turkey.
Richard Morningstar visited Baku in late 2011. He said that the US was offering support for Nabucco. The US Eximbank may finance the project if US companies are invited for construction.
The US interest comes from opportunities of various ways to build the Southern Gas Corridor, which is not limited by Nabucco. Azerbaijan and Turkey agreed on construction of the Trans-Anatolia Gas Pipeline, providing gas supply for the EU. Three branches may be attached to it. The State Oil Company of the Azerbaijani Republic (SOCAR) is searching for the best way to realize the project.
The Nabucco pipeline is expected to have a cap of 31 billion cubic meters annually. Analysts believe that such volumes would not be achieved by 2017 or even 2020. Negotiations with Turkmenistan continue. Gas supplies from Iran are clear. The situation in Iraq is still not stable enough for gas supply.
