EuroAsia Interconnector is of “strategic importance” for Greece and eastern Mediterranean

Nicosia-Athens-Heraklion – February 12, 2018:

The exceptionally strategic importance of the EuroAsia Interconnector for Greece, Cyprus and Israel, and all neighboring countries was emphasised by Kypros Giorgallis, Counsellor and Deputy Head of Mission at the Embassy of Cyprus in Athens, in his speech at the public consultation for the project held at Elefsina, Attica, on Friday, February 9.

The EuroAsia Interconnector is a leading European Union Project of Common Interest (PCI) that will link the electricity grids of Israel, Cyprus and Greece (Crete-Attica) through a 2,000MW sub-sea cable and converter stations at each connection point. The total budget of Stage 1 of the project for the initial 1000MW interconnector is estimated at 3.5 billion euros.

Expressing the benefits for local communities, the Deputy Governor of Western Attica district, Yiannis Vasiliou, said that the prefecture fully supports the project, and welcomes the greater opportunities for the area that will arise from such a large-scale investment.

“With this project, Greece becomes an energy hub and upgrades its geostrategic role, always keeping in mind the wider community benefits as well,” Vasiliou said.
Demosthenis Voivodas, Senior Officer Directorate of Licensing at the General Secretariat of Strategic and Private Investments, said that the EuroAsia Interconnector, as one of the most important Projects of Common Interest of the European Union, ensures the timely public participation in the initial stages of planning with the aim that projects of similar dimension be subject to local communities, and to ensure that any pending issues be resolved quickly and efficiently.

George Killas, Project Director of the Project Promoter EuroAsia Interconnector, described the vast socio-economic benefits of the project, as well as the benefits arising from European Directive 347/2003 for energy infrastructure within the implementation framework for this important project and the financing opportunities. He also noted that this was a project of tremendous geostrategic importance for Greece and Cyprus, as it gives the opportunity to both countries to become bridges of cooperation, by linking the eastern Mediterranean with the European Union.

Spyros Papageorghiou, Managing Director of Enveco AE, presented the analytical and technical descriptions of the project, as well as the environmental aspect, while Thanos Belalides, Communications Director at Omada Sympraxis Co. referred to the weight that the local communities and all stakeholders carry at the current phase of the project’s planning. The public consultation session concluded with questions, assessments and exchange of views on issues raised by representatives of various stakeholder groups that took part in the consultation, as well as from officials from the ministries of Environment and Energy, Foreign Affairs, Economy and Development, Culture and Maritime Archaeology, Attica Prefecture, Elefsina Municipality, DEH, etc.

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