Nicosia pleads with Athens over energy linkup

While Athens appears to have turned its back on European Union financing to connect the island of Crete to the power grid on mainland Greece, Nicosia is pleading with the Greek government not to miss the unique opportunity to link Cyprus to Europe’s electricity market.

Greece has rejected all proposals by the European Commission for the Crete-Attica linkup plan to be 30 percent subsidized through its inclusion in the EU’s Projects of Common Interest (PCI).

Brussels’s response to Greece’s rejection is anticipated with great interest this week, but Cyprus Energy Minister Giorgos Lakkotrypis has sent an urgent letter to his Greek counterpart, Giorgos Stathakis, asking him to intervene so that the major regional project linking Israel with Cyprus and then with Crete and Attica can be implemented.

“I plead with you to examine the request by EuroAsia Interconnector Ltd for the signing of the form through which the Greek government gives its consent for the submission of the application so the opportunity existing at this moment is not missed and the electrical interconnection of our countries receives financing from Europe,” Lakkotrypis wrote in his letter on October 16