Parliament has called the energy minister to a committee hearing to explain why the Greek government refused to support the Israel-Cyprus-Crete-Attica electricity cable as an EU project of common interest (PCI).
Daily Phileleftheros reported that Green Party leader George Perdikis tabled the question for discussion at the House Energy Committee, following reports that after supporting the project since its inception in 2012, the Mitsotakis administration made an about-turn and declared the Crete-Attica section of the subsea interconnection as a ‘national’ project, depriving it of EU funding.
This decision, announced by Greek Energy Minister Kostis Hatzidakis on October 4, jeopardises the rest of the project, known as the EuroAsia Interconnector, which seeks to end Cyprus being the last electrically non-interconnected EU member state.
In an effort to appease anti-patriotic sentiment in Cyprus, Hatzidakis later told the Cyprus News Agency he was endorsing the remaining two sections of the cable, from Israel to Cyprus and Cyprus-Crete, as a PCI in order to benefit from major grants from the EU’s ‘Connecting Europe Facility’, a decision that requires the ministers and regulators of Cyprus and Greece as co-signators.
Cyprus Energy Minister Yiorgos Lakkotrypis told reporters the Cypriot side had made an effort to keep the EuroAsia Interconnector as a single project, that is the three sections of Israel-Cyprus, Cyprus-Crete and Crete-Attica to remain as a unified PCI.
He said the Greek side decided that it wanted to keep the Crete-Attica section as ‘national’ and did not need any funding, this echoed exactly what the Greeks had argued.
“Our priorities were first, to maintain the Israel-Cyprus section and Cyprus-Crete as an EU project of common interest, to be eligible to get funding, something which we achieved with the latest list [of PCIs] and also, secondly, equally important was to ensure the interoperability of the two cables,” said Lakkotrypis.
Energy sector observers in Cyprus said the previous Syriza administration took away the Crete-Attica section of the €3.5 bln project from the Cyprus-based EuroAsia Interconnector and handed it on a silver plate to the partially-privatised ADMIE transmission system operator, which China’s State Grid Corp. had rescued with a €320 mln injection for a 24% stake and ultimate control.
Then-opposition New Democracy MPs had cried foul, only to support the same ‘national’ designation soon after being elected to power, for which the administration has come under harsh criticism from deputies and officials in Crete and other affected areas.
Green MP Perdikis said “developments on the electricity interconnection of the three countries are rapid and critical, with the latest being the definite rejection of Greece to participate in the European Union project of common interest. This move by the government of Greece provokes questions not only for us but the European Commission too.”
“I believe, that the Committee be in session immediately and, due to the seriousness of the matter, call the Energy Minister, a representative of the Cyprus Energy Regulatory Authority (CERA) and consequently representatives of project developer EuroAsia Interconnector to inform the Committee on the latest developments, possible scenarios, plans and measures being taken to rescue the project which has strategic, geopolitical and energy importance to Cyprus,” Perdikis added.
Committee chair Andreas Kyprianou said Lakkotrypis will be called to brief the deputies and that he, too, considers this matter to be of great importance. According to the minister’s availability, a meeting with the committee will be arranged, possibly in November, he said.
SEE ALSO: Greece offers excuses as Cyprus electricity link left hanging
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