Bulgarian Ministry Clears EIA Report of Nabucco Pipeline Section

Map of the Nabucco West gas pipeline project by Nabucco Gas Pipeline International GmbH

The Ministry of Environment has given the green light to the Bulgarian section of the Nabucco gas pipeline project.

On December 17, 2012 the Bulgarian Ministry of Environment and Water issued a statement endorsing the quality of the national Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Report and Appropriate Assessment Report for the Bulgarian section of the pipeline to the local company Nabucco Gas Pipeline Bulgaria EOOD, according to a media statement of Nabucco Gas Pipeline International.

"This is as significant milestone for the project before the public disclosure and will contribute to a swift implementation of the project. Congratulations to the Bulgarian Nabucco Team for the excellent job!," said Reinhard Mitschek, CEO of Nabucco Gas Pipeline International.

The reports will be published on the website of the Bulgarian Ministry of Environment and Water on December 21 and will also be available online on the Nabucco website.

The next stage in the process will be a series of public hearings on the project across 30 municipalities throughout Bulgaria in February 2013.

The EU-backed Nabucco project is to carry Caspian natural gas to Europe by circumventing Russia.

In May 2012, the Nabucco Consortium presented the revised, smaller version of the gas pipeline project called Nabucco West.

The 1300-km pipeline Nabucco West is to carry Caspian gas from the Bulgarian-Turkish border to the Central European Gas Hub (CEGH) in Baumgarten and beyond.

The project's current shareholders include the Bulgarian Energy Holding (BEH), Romanian Transgaz, Turkish Botas, Austrian OMV, German RWE, and Hungary's MOL, each of them controlling a 16.67 % stake.

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