Brussels, 12/01/2016 (Agence Europe) - On Monday 11 January during a visit to Cyprus, as part of his tour of EU member states to discuss the Energy Union, the European Commission Vice President responsible for this dossier, Maros Sefcovic, said that Cyprus and the Eastern Mediterranean could become key energy players in Europe if their potential is used correctly.
At the end of his meeting in Nicosia with Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades and the Cypriot Minister for Energy, Yiorgos Lakkotrypis, Sefcovic told the press “We see the East Mediterranean as very important territory from the point of view of the energy security of Europe. I think we need to work very closely with Cyprus to do everything possible to develop it in the most intelligent and smart way to the benefit of the region but also for the improvement of the energy security of Europe”.
The Commissioner also emphasised that Cyprus could become a major player in developing technology for renewable energies in North Africa and the Middle East.
Sefcovic said that the possibility of Cyprus exporting natural gas to Europe in the future was a “very strong possibility” because gas fields had been discovered in the eastern Mediterranean. On Monday, the Cyprus Mail quoted the Commissioner when he said that Europe was a “natural destination” for this gas.
The Commissioner explained that a lot would depend on the future work in the gas fields so far but described the first results as “very promising”. He pointed out “we are not talking about hundreds but about thousands of billions of cubic metres” and added that Europe's annual natural gas consumption ranges between 400-500 million cubic metres.
He also said that this showed “how important these gas fields in the Eastern Mediterranean are… the next question would depend on how big the gas discoveries really are, what is their potential and what is the most economical use for the region and for eventual transportation to Europe”.
Sefcovic said that in February the Commission would present the new Liquid Natural Gas (LNG) strategy for Europe, “where we see the Mediterranean as a very important gateway for the new supplies for Europe”.
Lakkotrypis said that he had discussed the prospects in view of the natural gas discoveries in the eastern Mediterranean, as well as cooperation between the Commission and Cypriot government for strengthening the EU's energy security in terms of sources and supply routes.
The Minister thanked the Commissioner for the Commission's support for ending Cyprus's energy isolation and including the country on the EU's revised list of Projects of Common Interest (PCI) that would receive EU funding and which was published in November 2015 (see EUROPE 11433). These projects include: - the Euro Asia Interconnector, a cable linking up the electricity grids of Cyprus, Israel and Greece and the EastMed pipeline, a project for the linking of the Eastern Mediterranean natural gas fields with Cyprus and Greece through Crete. (Original version in French by Emmanuel Hagry)