By December 2025 the Black Sea Submarine Cable Project had entered a new technical phase in which geophysical studies of the Black Sea seabed for the interconnector route between Georgia and Romania were under way. Deputy Economy Minister Inga Pkhaladze noted that these seabed surveys, requiring specialised vessels capable of operating in the Black Sea, form a core part of the project’s preparatory work financed under the ESPIRE program.
On 1 December 2025, the European Commission adopted a delegated act publishing the new list of Projects of Common and Mutual Interest, which includes the Black Sea Submarine Cable Project as a Project of Mutual Interest (PMI), giving it access to EU strategic, legal and financial support mechanisms.
Concurrently with the geophysical work, geotechnical investigations for the Black Sea Submarine Cable Project had started and were ongoing by late 2025, assessing seabed soil conditions along the planned HVDC route. Georgian officials described these geophysical and geotechnical studies, conducted using specialised survey vessels in the Black Sea, as a main component of the project’s preparatory phase funded through the World Bank–supported ESPIRE program.
Upgrade to access detailed cable specifications, supply chain data, projected timeline, financial analysis, and more.
The Black Sea Submarine Cable (BSSC) is a planned HVDC electricity interconnector intended to provide a direct physical link between the South Caucasus and the EU by connecting Georgia and Romania (landfalls reported at Anaklia, Georgia and Constanța/Constanța-area Romania). The project’s strateg...
Owners
BSSC, Black Sea Power Interconnector, Black Sea Energy, Black Sea power line, Black Sea interconnector
The Black Sea Submarine Cable Project was subsequently re-listed in ENTSO-E’s Ten-Year Network Development Plan 2024 (covering the 2026–2036 horizon), confirming the continued strategic importance of the planned Georgia–Romania HVDC interconnection for the European grid.
On 4 September 2024, transmission system operators CNTEE Transelectrica, Georgian State Electrosystem (GSE), AzerEnerji and MVM Electrical Works signed an agreement in Romania to establish a joint venture power company to implement the Black Sea Submarine Cable HVDC interconnection between Georgia and Romania, with planned extensions to Hungary and Azerbaijan.
The main technical‑economic feasibility study for the Black Sea Submarine Cable Project, carried out by Italian consultant CESI for Georgian State Electrosystem, was completed in July 2024 after a campaign running from May 2022. The study confirmed that the planned 1,155–1,195 km HVDC interconnector between Georgia and Romania is technically and economically viable, defined key technical parameters and investment needs, and included environmental and social scoping work and supporting documentation for the project.
On 21 May 2024, the World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors approved a US$35 million IBRD loan for Phase 1 of the ESPIRE Program for Georgia, providing preparatory financing for the Black Sea Submarine Cable Project, including geophysical and geotechnical seabed surveys, environmental and social studies, and institutional capacity building, within a multi-phase programmatic loan framework of up to about US$500 million that also foresees later support for onshore grid reinforcement and the submarine cable’s construction (with indicative phase allocations of US$35 million, US$50 million, and US$435 million respectively).
The Black Sea Submarine Cable Project was first included in ENTSO-E’s Ten-Year Network Development Plan (TYNDP) 2022, recognising the planned HVDC interconnection between Georgia and Romania as part of the European transmission development portfolio.
Showing historic events only. Subscribe for the full timeline including projected milestones.