Hurriyet: Azeri accord gives hopes to Nabucco

Azerbaijan’s Shah Deniz gas group has agreed a deal that could see it take a stake in the Nabucco pipeline to transport the country’s gas to Europe via Turkey, boosting the project’s chances against a rival plan.

The Shah Deniz 2 consortium, which has already signed a funding deal with the competing Trans-Adriatic pipeline (TAP) project, has said taking a stake in Nabucco would be critical for the project to go ahead.

The companies behind the Nabucco pipeline said on Jan. 10 that the deal, announced in Sofia and to be finalized in Vienna, would give Shah Deniz 2 a 50 percent stake if it chooses their project as its European export route, in return for joint funding and development of the pipeline.  MORE