The Shah Deniz II consortium chose not to ship its gas to Europe through the Nabucco pipeline, Austria’s OMV, the leading shareholder of the Nabucco project said earlier today. The other bidder in the project was the Trans-Anatolian gas pipeline.
Shah Deniz’s official decision will be announced on June 28.
The Nabucco project comprises five other shareholders, including Romania’s state-run natural gas transporter Transgaz (TGN.RO).
“The Romanian authorities are examining various scenarios regarding the development of the South Corridor, including hydrocarbon exploitation in the Black Sea and the development of shale gas fields,” the ministry said in a statement.
It said the proposed Azerbaijan–Georgia–Romania Interconnector (AGRI) pipeline project would remain priority.
The AGRI pipeline is expected to transport Azerbaijani natural gas to Romania, via Georgia. The project is estimated at EUR1.2 billion to EUR4.5 billion, depending on the final transport capacity.