Russia's Prime Minister Viktor Zubkov, left, and his Hungarian counterpart Ferenc Gyurcsany, adjust their head phones during a press conference after their meeting in the Parliament building, Budapest, Hungary, Friday, Dec. 7, 2007.
Photo: AP, AP
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Hungary Ready for All Gas Nets
Hungary that proposed December 6 to consolidate gas transmission nets of Europe into the NETS project is apparently interested in all sources of gas supplies. Past Friday in Budapest, Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsany offered his Russia’s counterpart Viktor Zubkov to lay a portion of the South Stream gas pipeline via Hungary.
Russia’s Prime Minister Viktor Zubkov brought to Budapest the South Stream project that will run via the Black Sea’s bottom from Tuapse to southern Europe. The feasibility study will be elaborated by Gazprom and Italian Eni that are expected to set up a joint venture for this purpose by January 15. One of the possible routes is from Bulgaria through Romania and Hungary and Italy, while another one runs from Bulgaria to Greece and Italy. The budget is estimated at roughly $10 billion. The feasibility study will be developed in 2008 and the first supplies are slated for 2013, Deputy Industry and Energy Minister Ivan Materov insisted in Budapest.
Of interest is that Gazprom first attempted to lure into the South Stream’s construction not Italian Eni but Hungarian MOL, to no avail though. On December 6, i.e. a day before Zubkov’s visit to Budapest, MOL voiced the proposal to create an alternative transmission net of eight states of Central and South Europe - the New Europe Transmission System (NETS). The project is aimed at raising a loan to construct Nabucco gas pipeline that will connect southern Europe with Middle Asia bypassing Russia and will compete with the South Stream.
In Budapest, however, it emerged that Hungary is ready to back up both Nabucco and the South Stream. Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsany made clear that his country would rather get gas from different sources and urged Russia to develop a route involving Hungary. Russia’s delegation suggested talking it over with Gazprom and respective negotiations will probably begin in 2008.
www.kommersant.com
All the Article in Russian as of Dec. 10, 2007
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