The EuroAsia Interconnector has entered the construction stage with the launch ceremony held in Nicosia, Cyprus, on 14 October.
The EuroAsia interconnector is a Project of Common Interest (PCI) under the 5th Union List comprising a 1,200-kilometer subsea cable from Israel to Crete via Cyprus.
As a second phase, once the link to Crete is completed, an electricity link between Cyprus and Israel will be constructed.
European Commissioner for Energy Kadri Simson, President of Cyprus Nicos Anastasiades, and the Ministers for Energy of Cyprus Natasa Pilides and Greece Kostas Skrekas attended the ceremony.
“The EuroAsia Interconnector is yet another key infrastructure project strengthening the EU’s energy security by linking Cyprus to the EU’s electricity grid and contributing to our ambitious decarbonisation objectives. We hope for a speedy construction process to make this project a reality as soon as possible,” Simson said during her speech.
The interconnector is a multi-terminal high-voltage, direct current scheme which will comprise three converter stations with sea-electrodes, interconnected by cables.
At full deployment, the 500 kV interconnector will allow the transfer of 2,000 MW of electricity. Its total offshore length is 1,208 kilometers, while its onshore length is 25 kilometers.
The project is set to bring an end to Cyprus’s energy isolation, effectively making all EU countries physically connected to the EU electricity grid.