Kazakhstan participated in Batumi energy conference

White Stream natural-gas line aimed at delivering Central Asian gas to Europe is the priority one within the Caspian-Black Sea-Baltic energy transit space; the joint statement of Batumi energy conference said; the press-service of the Ukrainian National Security and Defense Council reported.

The second priority project is the Euro-Asian Oil Transport Corridor.

As was noted Batumi Energy Conference is to advance further development of the Southern Corridor initiative, an attempt of the European Union and other participant countries to strengthen energy security through diversification of sources, routes and suppliers.

The Southern Corridor initiative is directed to transit energy resources from the Caspian region to Europe via Azerbaijan and Georgia. White Stream is the alternative to Nabucco project providing natural gas transportation from the Caspian region to Ukraine and Romania for further gas supply to Central Europe.

Representatives of Azerbaijan, Poland, Romania, Bulgaria, Lithuania, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, European Union and Belarus (as observer) took part in the conference.

The Nabucco project represents a new gas pipeline connecting the Caspian region, Middle East and Egypt via Turkey, Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary with Austria and further on with the Central and Western European gas markets. The pipeline length is approximately 3,300 km, starting at the Georgian/Turkish and/or Iranian/Turkish border respectively, leading to Baumgarten in Austria. According to market studies, the pipeline has been designed to transport a maximum amount of 31 bcm/y.

Estimated investment costs including financing costs for a complete new pipeline system amount to approximately 7.9 billion Euro.