BP: Big commercial difference between TAP and Nabucco

There was a big difference between TAP and Nabucco West from the viewpoint of gas cost and its delivery, Al Cook, BP Vice President for Shah-Deniz field development, told journalists.

"There was a big commercial difference between TAP an Nabucco from the viewpoint of gas price and delivery costs. There were other differences between the projects as well," Cook said.

He said more than 10 options have been considered during four years. The decision was made on the basis of 8 criteria.

Cook said that trans-Anadolu (TANAP) and trans-Adriatic pipeline (TAP) gas pipelines will ensure fast gas delivery to the TAP member-states. The work is also in progress on the interconnectors, which will ensure gas delivery to other European countries.

"We have been working on the Shah-Deniz-2 project, investments into which are expected to reach $40 billion. This is a very important decision, which will lay the foundation for development of other fields," Cook said.

He said the talks on gas purchase with Italy and Greece are almost over. The talks are also in progress with Bulgaria to build the interconnector Greece-Bulgaria (IGB), which is also planned to be connected to TAP.

The decision on the share in TAP will be made within several weeks, Cook said.

"Companies from various countries would like to buy gas in Italy. We will consider the proposals and we are interested in gas transportation from Italy to the north," Cook added.-0-