Israeli Minister Cohen: GSI Project With Greece, Cyprus A Top Priority

A relative silence on the part of one of the three national stakeholders of the high-profile Great Sea Interconnector (GS) project, Israel in this case, over difficulties to mend differences between the regulatory authorities of Greece and Cyprus emphatically ended on Thursday with a statement by Israeli Energy Minister Eli Cohen.

Taking to his X account, Cohen, who also holds the infrastructure portfolio, said he spoke with his Cypriot counter, George Papanastasiou, specifically over the proposed project, which aims to link the power grid of Israel with Cyprus’, and the latter’s with mainland Greece. The highly ambitious and challenging project is billed as costing two billion euros, mainly for the construction of substations and the laying of an undersea electricity cable spanning the breadth of the eastern Mediterranean.

The two regulatory entities, of Greece and Cyprus, respectively, still have differences regarding cost-sharing and over the financial viability of the project.

“I spoke with the Minister of Energy, Trade, and Industry of Cyprus, George Papanastasiou. We underscored the strong relationship and ongoing cooperation between Israel and Cyprus, and I emphasized the great importance of the ‘Great Sea Interconnector’ project to Israel. The project will connect Israel’s electricity grid to the European one through Cyprus and Greece, and strengthen energy security in the region,” Cohen wrote on X (formerly Twitter).

“This groundbreaking project is a top priority for Israel as it enhances regional energy security, provides access to diverse energy markets, and strengthens Israel’s integration into the European energy network,” he added.