Turkmenistan, Ashgabat, Apr. 16 / Trend H.Hasanov /
Turkmenistan and Iraq are potential natural gas suppliers to Europe under the Southern Corridor concept, Senior Adviser at the Office of the Special Envoy for Eurasian Energy of the U.S. State Department Daniel Stein said in Ashgabat. Stein attended the first International Gas Conference in Turkmenistan.
"President Gurbangulu Berdimuhamedov has talked positively about providing gas to Europe as part of Turkmenistan's efforts to diversify its export routes. While the ultimate decision is of course up to the Government of Turkmenistan, we would welcome Turkmenistan's participation," Stein said.
He noted that Iraq has indicated an interest in supplying gas to the Southern Corridor.
"But we believe this needs to be part of a comprehensive energy strategy for that country and supported by Iraq's central government," he added.
Stein also stressed that the U.S.'s position on Iran has not changed.
"We see no place for Iranian gas in a Southern Corridor, given the current approach of its leadership and while international efforts to address Iran's nuclear program are underway," Stein said.
The Southern Corridor is a priority EU energy project. The project aims to diversify routes and supply sources, thus increasing EU energy security. The Nabucco gas pipeline, which is the main element of the Southern Corridor Project, aims to transport gas from the Caspian region and the Middle East to the EU.
Participants of Nabucco are Austrian OMV, Hungarian MOL, Bulgarian Bulgargaz, Romanian Transgaz, Turkish Botas and German RWE companies. Maximal capacity of the pipeline will hit 31 billion cubic meters per year.
"New pipelines are just one piece of the European energy security puzzle. Pipelines alone will not sufficiently provide for Europe's energy security," he added.
The U.S. supports other initiatives that Europe is undertaking to increase its own energy security.
Those initiatives focus on building a single market for energy, unbundling the distribution and supply functions of energy firms, building interconnectivity of European gas and electricity networks, enhancing LNG import capabilities, and increasing gas storage.
Do you have any feedback? Contact our journalist at: [email protected]