Both of the pipelines projects that are competing to bring gas from the Caspian Sea region to Europe via the Southern Gas Corridor have an equal chance of being selected, BP PLC's (BP.LN) vice president for the Shah Deniz development said Thursday.

"Both pipelines at this stage have an equal chance," Al Cook said in a press briefing, adding that he didn't know which would make a more compelling offer.

Mr. Cook confirmed that the consortium behind Shah Deniz--a giant natural gas field in Azerbaijan that is being planned to allow gas to enter Europe without going through countries like Russia or Iran --intends to select a pipeline by June of this year.

The decision regarding which pipeline will transport the gas, Nabucco West or the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline, will be based on several criteria. Profitability is certainly a role, he said, but added that political support as well as scalability is also an important factor.

Mr. Cook said BP is happy with their ownership level in the Nabucco West consortium and not looking to increase their share of 14%. At the same time, he said, the oil company would not be adverse to another well-funded company joining Nabucco West. The entire Shah Deniz consortium has an option to acquire a 50% equity stake in Nabucco West.

Whichever pipeline is chosen, the first Shah Deniz gas will be delivered in 2018 to Turkey , he said, adding that as production is ramped up, BP expects the first gas to reach Europe in early 2019.
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