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Bulgarian Ministry of Environment and Water has approved Nabucco National Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Report, Nabucco Gas Pipeline International GmbH reported, according to Trend news agency.

The report said that the Bulgarian ministry issued a statement endorsing the quality of the national EIA Report and Appropriate Assessment Report for the Bulgarian section of the pipeline to the local company Nabucco Gas Pipeline Bulgaria EOOD.

According to the Managing Director of Nabucco Gas Pipeline Int., Reinhard Mitschek, this is a significant milestone for the project before the public disclosure, which will contribute to a swift implementation of Nabucco.

The documentation relating to the EIA procedure was submitted to the Ministry of Environment in Bulgaria on October 31.

Nabucco West is a short-cut version of Nabucco project, which envisages construction of the pipeline from the Turkish-Bulgarian border to Austria. Gas to be produced within the second phase of Azerbaijani Shah Deniz gas condensate field development is considered as the main source for the project.

Nabucco's current shareholders are Bulgarian Energy Holding, Romanian Transgaz, Turkish Botas, Austrian OMV, German RWE and Hungary's FGSZ.

Currently, the Shah Deniz consortium considers two options to deliver its gas to Europe - Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) and Nabucco West. The final decision on a pipeline route will be made in 2013.