The shareholders of Nabucco Gas Pipeline International will officially welcome today the German energy company RWE as the sixth partner in the EUR 5bn project for bringing natural gas from the Caspian region, Middle East and Egypt to Central and Western Europe , the Bulgarian economy ministry reports. The deal will be signed in Vienna by officials of the transit countries. The natural gas utilities of Turkey , Bulgaria , Romania , Hungary , and Austria currently hold equal shares of 20% in the pipeline company. Engineering and construction works for the 3,300-kilometre pipeline should start next year.  First supplies are expected in 2012 at initial transport volumes of 8bn cubic metres per year. The transit capacity will be raised to 31bn cubic metres per year by 2017. A moth ago, Nabucco Gas Pipeline International appointed the UK company Penspen for engineering coordinator. Local engineers will be selected for each country section of the pipelin