Nicosia, September 23, 2020 – EuroAsia Interconnector, project developer of the European Union Project of Common Interest (PCI3.10), interconnecting the electricity grids of Israel and Europe, through Cyprus and Greece (Crete), congratulates the seven energy ministers who signed the charter turning the East Med Gas Forum into an international body.
This historic event, with the ministers of Egypt, Greece, Israel, Cyprus, Italy, Jordan and the Palestinian Authority signing the charter during a virtual ceremony, paves the way to cooperating on infrastructure and facilitating development of regional energy markets.
In Nicosia, the charter was signed by Cyprus Energy Minister Natasa Pilidou, in the presence of the ambassadors of Jordan, Italy, Egypt, Israel and the United States.
“We congratulate the leaders of the partner countries who had the vision to establish this platform that will develop a sustainable regional gas market,” said EuroAsia Interconnector Strategic Council Chairman and former Cyprus Foreign Minister Dr. Ioannis Kasoulides.
The East Med Gas Forum was originally founded in 2018 following the discoveries of large natural gas deposits near Egypt and Israel. It was officially established as an international body on January 16, 2020 and it was agreed that the headquarters be located in Cairo, Egypt.
The Forum’s aim is to serve as a platform that brings together gas producers, consumers and transit countries to create a shared vision and establish a structured systematic policy dialogue on natural gas through cooperation in the technical and economic fields.
The EuroAsia Interconnector, the 1,000MW landmark electricity interconnector, remains committed to facilitating the transmission of electrical energy from regional producers to Europe, especially from renewable sources of energy, as part of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s vision and target of the “Green Deal” for cleaner energy, reduction of emissions and efficient use of electricity.
The Cyprus-Greece (Crete) interconnection PCI 3.10.1 will be commissioned by December 2023 and the Israel-Cyprus electricity interconnector PCI 3.10.2 will also be completed by December 2023.
As a leading European Project of Common Interest, labelled by the European Commission as an ‘electricity highway’, the EuroAsia Interconnector electricity link PCI 3.10 Israel-Cyprus-Greece (Crete) is eligible for grants from the €8.7 bln fund (2021-2027) of the “Connecting Europe Facility” (CEF).
The EuroAsia Interconnector as a Project of Common Interest: https://euroasia-interconnector.com//at-glance/the-big-picture/euroasia-eu-status/