Nabucco May Re-Enter Pipeline Competition

The Nabucco consortium on May 16 proposed a new pipeline to the group developing the Shah Deniz II natural gas field in Azerbaijan. The project is a downscaled version of its ambitious Nabucco natural gas pipeline project. Known as Nabucco West, the proposal tacitly suggests that the previous Nabucco project has been terminated.

The announcement of a joint Azerbaijani-Turkish project, the Trans-Anatolian Pipeline, likely caused Nabucco to revitalize its plans. If the Trans-Anatolian Pipeline gains momentum, Nabucco West could become a contender in the increasingly steep competition to bring natural gas from the Caspian Sea to European markets.