In January, the European Union earmarked €657 million ($736 million) for the construction of a 2,000-megawatt undersea electricity cable that will link the power grids of Israel, Cyprus and Greece. “We are now exploring ways to step up energy cooperation with Israel,” von der Leyen said. His office said the two leaders also discussed shipping natural gas to Europe through Egypt.Įuropean Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen, who is also in Israel this week, affirmed Europe’s commitment to wean itself off Russian gas, saying Israel could help. “We want to reduce our dependence on Russian gas and accelerate energy transition toward the climate objectives we’ve given ourselves,” he said.īennett said Israel was working to make natural gas available for Europe. “On the energy front, we will work together in using gas resources of the eastern Mediterranean and to develop renewable energy," Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi said at a joint press conference with his Israeli counterpart, Naftali Bennett. New supplies could help Europe ramp up sanctions on Moscow. It has signed an ambitious agreement with Greece and Cyprus to build a shared pipeline. Israel has emerged as a gas exporter in recent years following major offshore discoveries. The framework deal will be signed by Israel, the EU and Egypt, according to the Israeli ministry.Įuropean leaders visiting Israel on Tuesday said they hoped that natural gas supplies from the eastern Mediterranean could help reduce dependence on Russia as the Ukraine war drags on. Officials have said they expect the Israeli gas will be sent to liquefaction plants in Egypt and then shipped north to European market. The deal will for the first time allow “significant” exports of Israeli gas to Europe, the ministry said. The EU has said Israel could be a new source of gas as it looks to reduce its reliance on Russian energy. Greek prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and energy minister Kostas Skrekas will be involved in two key meetings in Athens today, to focus on energy matters as a result of Russia’s war on Ukraine, with Israel’s alternate prime minister and foreign affairs minister Yair Lapid, as well as US under secretary of state for political affairs Victoria Nuland.Israel and the European Union will sign a natural gas export deal on Wednesday during a regional energy conference in Cairo, Israel’s Energy Ministry said. The European Commission has already approved funding worth 657 million euros for the prospective project’s section to run from Greece to Cyprus. Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi recently stressed that development of the East Med gas pipeline, a prospective 2,000-km pipeline planned to carry natural gas to Europe via Greece, Cyprus, Israel and Italy, needs to be pursued as a result of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.Ī consortium formed by Greek gas company DEPA and Italy’s Edison is continuing its studies on the East Med project plan.Īs for the subsea electricity grid interconnection, Cyprus and Israel have pushed for its development to end their energy isolation. The session is planned to take place in a fortnight’s time or immediately following the Greek Easter period, culminating on April 24. The East Med gas pipeline and a subsea electricity grid interconnection to link Israel with Greece and Cyprus, projects whose prospects have grown as a result of the EU’s new energy policy, aiming to end the continent’s reliance on Russian gas as soon as possible, are expected to dominate the agenda at an upcoming trilateral meeting between the energy ministers of Greece, Cyprus and Israel.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |