Brussels, 04/12/2007 (Agence Europe) - Austrian energy company OMV said last week in the press that a final decision on the consortium to build the Nabucco gas pipeline would only be taken in early 2008. With an annual capacity of 30 billion cubic metres, the 3,300 kilometre long Nabucco will link Europe with the Caspian Sea to supply the EU with gas from the Middle East and Central Asia (see EUROPE 9551). Although several observers have been critical of the project, arguing that its economic viability depends in part on Iranian gas, European Energy Commissioner Andris Piebalgs was keen to clarify the debate to press following the Energy Council on Monday 3 December. “There is no point in talking about Iranian gas now. We know that it will supply the European market. But we must first resolve the nuclear issue. Until this matter is resolved, we must not expect Iranian gas to go through Nabucco,” he said. The other matter to be resolved for the project to be come about concerns the choice of the consortium's sixth partner. Already members of the consortium, apart from OMV, are energy companies MOL (Hungary), Transgaz (Romania), Bulgargaz (Bulgaria) and Botas (Turkey). At this point, several sources are in agreement that the German RWE is slightly ahead of French group Gas de France in the race to join the project. (E.H.)