CYPRUS, along with 11 other member states, does not meet the EU’s minimum interconnection target of having at least 10 per cent of installed electricity production capable of crossing borders.
The European Commission had earlier this week outlined its ambition to create an Energy Union, part of which would be the 10 per cent electricity interconnection target.
The bloc has pledged that during the upcoming climate summit in Paris, changes are expected to be hammered out.
An informal briefing was held on Friday at EU House in Nicosia, organised by the European Commission Representation in Cyprus, the French Embassy and the ministry of energy, in order to provide an outline of EU objectives and national priorities.
Although member states are required to have at least 10 per cent of their installed electricity production capacity capable of crossing borders by 2020, Cyprus, Estonia, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, Latvia, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain and the United Kingdom look set to miss the target.
According to George Markopouliotis, the Head of the Representation in Cyprus said the Commission has drawn up a list of 137 electricity projects, including 35 aimed at electricity interconnection.
The project involving Cyprus would be the ‘EuroAsia Interconnector’ that aims to connect power grids in Cyprus with Israel and Greece.
Such projects are able to benefit from access to financial support of a total of €5.85bn from the ‘Connecting Europe’ facility and, according to Markopouliotis, the first round of funding, worth €647m, includes the leg of the ‘EuroAsia Interconnector’ project foreseeing the link between Hadera in Israel and Vassilikos in Cyprus.
The project has been allocated €1.3m for the production of a feasibility study, while two more Cypriot projects figure in the list, comprising the electricity interconnection of Cyprus and Crete and a set of gas projects, including the proposed pipeline and the LNG storage facility in Vassilikos.
Markopouliotis said that such deals have to be compatible with EU law.
Constantinos Xichilos, the Acting Director for Energy at the ministry, presented preliminary positions on the Energy Union package and said that Nicosia endorsed the Commission’s vision for a resilient Energy Union with a forward looking climate policy.
On electricity interconnection, he said none had been developed yet due to various obstacles, but did not specify.
French ambassador Jean-Luc Florent said that his embassy, along with Cypriot and EU institutions and civil society, would be launching an awareness campaign and mobilising Cyprus ahead of the Paris summit, which takes place in November and December.
He said the support of EU institutions and member-states would be critical. “This is why also in Nicosia we plan to act, with Cypriot and EU institutions and civil society, to raise awareness and mobilise,” he said.
A series of events, notably scientific conferences, will be organised throughout the year to contribute to Cypriot debates, “because Cyprus is also concerned about climate change”, the ambassador said. (CNA)
