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The Biscay County Council has advanced one hundred million Euros to the Urdaibai''s new Guggenheim museum expansion project in order to carry out reports that will determine the feasibility of the endeavour. If all of them come back positive, the new space could be built by 2013 or 2014.

Biscay''s County deputy, Jose Luis Bilbao, and Guggenheim Bilbao director, Juan Ignacio Vidarte, signed an agreement on the issue on Wednesday. They said they expect the new Basque Government to join the initiative.

Last week, in a meeting with new Lehendakari Patxi Lopez, Jose Luis Bilbao "asked him to formally commit financially to pursuing a strategic project for the Basque Country, providing a further 100 million euros. We propose paying this amount between us, just as we paid for half of the Guggenheim Bilbao," he explained.

Nevertherless, Bilbao stated that if the institution finally "goes alone" with the project, it will also provide the previously announced one hundred million, although with the expectation that everybody collaborates.

Biscay County Council officials are waiting for Basque Government Culture councillor Blanca Urgell to contact deputy Josune Ariztondo in order to discuss the issue and the relocation of the Sukarrieta premises - still owned by BBK savings bank - in the neighbouring town of Ea, Biscay.

Bilbao also ruled out that the crisis could be an obstacle to carrying out the project. In fact, he said that "this is the time to make important investments, as it happened with the museum designed by Frank Gehry, which was built during hard times."