Athens, Greece. Energy Commissioner Dan Jorgensen reaffirmed the European Commission’s backing for the Greece-Cyprus-Israel electricity interconnection project, known as the Great Sea Interconnector, in a written response to a question from Pasok MEP Giannis Maniatis.
Commission support and project status
Jorgensen said the European Commission continues to provide “strong political and technical support” to the project and to efforts to accelerate its construction.
He stated that the Great Sea Interconnector, which he referred to as a pipeline, has again been included in the most recent Union list of projects of common interest under the Trans-European Networks for Energy regulation. He added that it is one of the energy corridor initiatives identified in the European networks package.
Jorgensen acknowledged that the project has faced delays, but said the commission is not aware of any new implementation timetable and is working closely with the Cypriot and Greek authorities, as well as with the project promoter, to address the delays.
Geopolitical risks and third-country dimension
Jorgensen said that regarding potential geopolitical risks surrounding the project, the European Commission is “fully committed” to placing particular emphasis on the project’s connective dimension in third countries to avoid further delays in implementation.
He also said the European Commission presented its expectations in the 2025 enlargement report on Turkey, which accompanies the 2025 communication on EU enlargement policy.
Funding conditions and assessment
Jorgensen said that regarding the funding the project has received from the Connecting Europe Facility, the conditions set out in the grant agreement apply, including with respect to timelines.
He said the project’s inclusion on the EU list and its funding under the Connecting Europe Facility mean it meets the criteria of the Trans-European Networks for Energy regulation, including a positive cost-benefit analysis.
He added that the Cypriot and Greek authorities are examining certain financial parameters with a view to accelerating implementation and that the commission supports this acceleration.
What steps do you think are most important to prevent further delays to the Great Sea Interconnector project?
