Filenews 16 June 2023 - by Chrysanthos Manoli
Israel's Energy Minister Israel Katz expressed twice yesterday in a very warm way – at a political level – the role that Cyprus can play, in cooperation (alliance) with his country, for the creation of a natural gas bridge from the Eastern Mediterranean to the West.
In fact, he described Cyprus as an "indispensable partner" and a "key partner" for the realization of the vision of creating an energy corridor to Western and other markets through Cyprus.
Through the statements made by Mr. Kats, before and after his meeting with Cypriot Energy Minister George Papanastasiou, he essentially adopted the strategic goal set by the Cypriot ministry recently, entitled Cyprus Gateway, which includes the transportation of Israeli gas through a pipeline to Cyprus for liquefaction and transportation by ship to other markets. An equally important goal of the Ministry of Energy for Cyprus remains to secure quantities of natural gas – through the pipeline – for local electricity production.
What seems to be reinforced through yesterday's joint statement by Papanastasiou and Katz is the commitment to exploring the possibilities for liquefaction of Israeli – and Cypriot – natural gas at a Cypriot liquefaction terminal, as provided for in the preliminary agreement between Christodoulides and Netanyahu, which was made public by the Israeli Prime Minister after the recent meeting of the two leaders in Israel.
Whether Netanyahu's statements were still a shared commitment to quickly seek an interstate agreement in that direction was one of the questions of Papanastasiou's contacts in Israel on Wednesday and Thursday. And it appears through the joint communiqué and the separate statements of Mr. Katz that the liquefaction of Israeli gas in Cyprus continues to be a desire and geopolitical goal of the Israeli government, in parallel with its already existing cooperation with Egypt.
What remains to be clarified in the near future is whether the vision to which Israel Katz referred is shared by the companies that have management rights in the fields of the neighbouring country, and especially the American Chevron, which until now has shown commitment to the goal of expanding its cooperation with Egypt and the liquefaction terminals there for the remaining Leviathan reserve.
During yesterday's contacts between the two delegations, it was decided to set up a technical committee of technocrats from the two countries, which will examine - starting next July - the whole network of procedures and techno-economic data for the connection of the Israeli gas network with Cyprus, both for the sale of quantities for electricity production and for the supply of liquefaction terminals.
Another technical committee will deal with the second objective set yesterday (reiterated to be precise), namely the interconnection of Israel's electricity grid with that of Cyprus, within the framework of the EuroAsia Interconnector project.
Looking forward to the next steps
According to Israel's Energy Minister, Cyprus is an indispensable partner in realizing the bold vision for an energy bridge connecting East and West, steadily contributing to regional stability.
He thanked George Papanastasiou for accepting his invitation and yesterday's contacts and expressed great impatience for the next steps of Israel and Cyprus in the fields of gas and electricity.
Earlier yesterday, before the joint communiqué, CNA broadcast an announcement by the Israeli Ministry of Energy, according to which Mr. Katz stated that "Israel and Cyprus maintain a long-term cooperation with a common vision, and especially at this time, this interstate cooperation is the basis of the policy for the realization of my vision to make Israel an energy bridge between East and West. that will enhance regional stability."
He added that "Cyprus is a key partner for the realization of this vision, and that is why I look forward to the progress of our joint plans in the areas of gas and electricity supply."
Common strategic interests
In the context of the joint communiqué, Energy Minister George Papanastasiou said that the discussions confirmed the strong commitment of the two countries to further strengthen and deepen their cooperation.
We discussed how the current energy crisis underlines the need for energy diversification, security of supply and increased interconnection, and agreed to accelerate our discussions at various levels in order to create a reliable energy corridor from the Eastern Mediterranean.
In this context, we focus on the electricity interconnection between Cyprus and Israel as well as the operation of Cyprus as a gateway for Israeli gas to Europe.
