Bulgaria interested in NABUCCO

The NABUCCO project has lately been the subject of much discussion in many different countries. Bulgaria's Minister of Economy, Trichov Triako expressed his country’s strong interest in launching the NABUCCO project as soon as possible. Under this system a gas pipeline will be laid from Turkey to Bulgaria thus connecting these countries' systems. The EU is ready to invest Euro 200 million to finance the project. This segment of the NABUCCO pipeline could be the first successful implementation at the start of the project. The overall cost of NABUCCO is close to Euro 8 billion and it is supposed to start in 2011. The first natural gas should be being pumped through the pipeline in 2014. While there is a specific plan in place for how the pipeline will be constructed in different stages, the most important issue has not yet been decided – that is the issue of the source(s) of the gas. Apart from Azeri natural gas, Turkmenistan and Iraq are also being considered as possible major sources.