European Union: Southern Gas Corridor

The Southern Gas Corridor is a major initiative by the European Union (EU) to diversify its energy supply, and thereby reduce its dependence on a single supplier.

After years of talks between the EU and countries concerned, a plan was proposed in 2008 to build a southern corridor, with projects including the Nabucco Gas Pipeline. This EU-funded 3,300-kilometer-long pipeline project seeks to ship gas from the Caspian Sea to Austria and onward to other European countries via Turkey, Bulgaria, Romania and Hungary. With an estimated investment of 7.9 billion euros, the pipeline is expected to deliver 31 billion cubic meters of natural gas annually.

There are still daunting challenges in selecting sources of supply and pipeline routes and addressing international dynamics before the concept of this corridor can become a reality. The EU's path to energy security remains protracted.

歐盟“南部能源走廊”

“南部能源走廊”也稱“南部走廊輸氣網”，是歐盟一直倡導的大型重點項目，旨在減少對單一國家的天然氣依賴，實現歐洲能源供應渠道的多元化。歐盟在與相關國家談判多年后，于2008年提出建設一個以納布科天然氣管道為主的“南部走廊”輸氣管道網絡。納布科天然氣管道項目由歐盟投資，全長約3300千米，目的是將里海地區的天然氣經土耳其、保加利亞、羅馬尼亞和匈牙利輸送至奧地利后，再輸往歐盟其他國家。該項目預計投資總額為79億歐元，年輸送天然氣能力為310億立方米。當前，在氣源選擇、管道過境以及國際環境等方面，歐盟“南部能源走廊”構想依舊存在諸多掣肘，供氣計劃障礙重重，歐盟實現能源安全之路任重道遠。