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Nabucco
The Nabucco Project was initiated by BOTAS on 5–13 February 2002 on the basis
of a proposal made by parties to negotiations with Bulgarian Gas, Transgaz, MOL,
and OMV. The goal of the project is to funnel gas to Europe through Turkey, eventually stretching to Austria via Hungary (www.bbc.co.uk 2016).
According to initial calculations, the total length of the pipeline will extend to
around 3300 km, with 2000 km alone extending the breadth of Turkey.
Nabucco International was established with the signing of an equal share joint
venture agreement by participant companies on June 28, 2005. Nabucco National
Companies were charged with the construction and operation of the project in their
respective countries. The project received official state backing from these countries
in the form of a Declaration of Ministers signed in Vienna on June 26, 2006. With
such a strong mandate, the project looked viable for a number of years, with
Germany power firm RWE signing to become the sixth partner of the project in
February 2008 (www.bbc.co.uk 2016).
The long-haul pipeline project pledging to transport natural gas from Turkey to
European Union countries was subsequently signed by ministers in July 2009. Its
most prominent support came from the US, then governed by the outgoing Bush
Administration, and the EU to act as an alternative to the dominance of Russia’s
Gazprom. The Nabucco Natural Gas Pipeline project aims to move the natural gas
of the Caspian and Caspian regions to Europe through Turkey. The supply chain
begins in the Shah Deniz field in the Caspian, linking energy supplies belonging to
Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, and other Trans-Caspian resources and
Iranian gas (although, in the long run, it is hoped that gas will be transported from
Iraq and Syria through other Egyptian gas sources as well as from sources in surrounding countries) (www.tuicakademi.org 2016) (Fig. 3.2).
When these resources reach Turkey, the second connection will enter the circuit.
In the future, it is theorized that Russian gas will also join the line in Turkey and
continue to Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, and Austria. The plans also include social
projects aimed at mitigating the environmental impact of the Nabucco in places
where the line passes. It is expected that these activities will stimulate the economy
of settlements along the route (www.tuicakademi.org 2016).
The most significant issue regarding the Nabucco project however is simply that
not enough natural gas has been found in order to fill it. Turkey’s most high profile
EU project, the plan aims to build on the country’s energy showpieces, the BakuTbilisi- Ceyhan (BTC) oil pipeline, and the Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum natural gas pipeline, which are currently presented as a success story in transit deal terms, serving
as an energy corridor between the Caspian and the West (www.ntv.com.tr 2017).
The 11 billion dollar project pledged to carry 31 billion cubic meters of gas over an
expanse of 3282 km (including the feed lines), with 1558 km going through Turkey,
392 km through Bulgaria, 457 km through Romania, and 388 km passing through
Hungary continuing 46 km to Baumgarten in Austria (www.uluslararasigundem.
com 2016).
3 International Context of the New Era and the Caspian Sea Region
Nabucco
The Nabucco Project was initiated by BOTAS on 5–13 February 2002 on the basis
of a proposal made by parties to negotiations with Bulgarian Gas, Transgaz, MOL,
and OMV. The goal of the project is to funnel gas to Europe through Turkey, eventually stretching to Austria via Hungary (www.bbc.co.uk 2016).
According to initial calculations, the total length of the pipeline will extend to
around 3300 km, with 2000 km alone extending the breadth of Turkey.
Nabucco International was established with the signing of an equal share joint
venture agreement by participant companies on June 28, 2005. Nabucco National
Companies were charged with the construction and operation of the project in their
respective countries. The project received official state backing from these countries
in the form of a Declaration of Ministers signed in Vienna on June 26, 2006. With
such a strong mandate, the project looked viable for a number of years, with
Germany power firm RWE signing to become the sixth partner of the project in
February 2008 (www.bbc.co.uk 2016).
The long-haul pipeline project pledging to transport natural gas from Turkey to
European Union countries was subsequently signed by ministers in July 2009. Its
most prominent support came from the US, then governed by the outgoing Bush
Administration, and the EU to act as an alternative to the dominance of Russia’s
Gazprom. The Nabucco Natural Gas Pipeline project aims to move the natural gas
of the Caspian and Caspian regions to Europe through Turkey. The supply chain
begins in the Shah Deniz field in the Caspian, linking energy supplies belonging to
Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, and other Trans-Caspian resources and
Iranian gas (although, in the long run, it is hoped that gas will be transported from
Iraq and Syria through other Egyptian gas sources as well as from sources in surrounding countries) (www.tuicakademi.org 2016) (Fig. 3.2).
When these resources reach Turkey, the second connection will enter the circuit.
In the future, it is theorized that Russian gas will also join the line in Turkey and
continue to Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, and Austria. The plans also include social
projects aimed at mitigating the environmental impact of the Nabucco in places
where the line passes. It is expected that these activities will stimulate the economy
of settlements along the route (www.tuicakademi.org 2016).
The most significant issue regarding the Nabucco project however is simply that
not enough natural gas has been found in order to fill it. Turkey’s most high profile
EU project, the plan aims to build on the country’s energy showpieces, the BakuTbilisi- Ceyhan (BTC) oil pipeline, and the Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum natural gas pipeline, which are currently presented as a success story in transit deal terms, serving
as an energy corridor between the Caspian and the West (www.ntv.com.tr 2017).
The 11 billion dollar project pledged to carry 31 billion cubic meters of gas over an
expanse of 3282 km (including the feed lines), with 1558 km going through Turkey,
392 km through Bulgaria, 457 km through Romania, and 388 km passing through
Hungary continuing 46 km to Baumgarten in Austria (www.uluslararasigundem.
com 2016).
3 International Context of the New Era and the Caspian Sea Region