25-01-06 A total of 8 gas companies seek to join the Nabucco pipeline project but no more than 2 will be admitted to the company implementing the venture, said Kiril Gegov, executive director of Bulgarian state-owned gas distributor Bulgargaz.
France's Total and Gaz de France, Germany's E.ON and RWE, a Polish and a Japanese company are interested in the natural gas pipeline from the Caspian Region to Central and Western Europe known as the Nabucco project.

The two new entrants will be granted less than 20 % participation in Nabucco Gas Pipeline International Ltd., the company that will design and operate the facility, said Gegov.
Nabucco Gas Pipeline International Ltd. is a commercial partnership between Turkish state-owned company BOTAS, Bulgargaz, Hungary's MOL, Austria's OMV and Romania's Transgaz Medias wherein each company controls 20 %.

The 3,300 km pipeline will pump 13.5 to 16 bn cm of natural gas annually to Central and Western Europe. The project is worth some EUR 4-4.5 bn.
Construction is expected to get underway in late 2007 or early 2008 with 2011 as the completion target.