Early Development Other

DELAYED delayed (Apr 2026): World Bank ESPIRE documents define a UXO survey as part of the seabed investigations, but a Mar‑2025 ISR shows Phase 1 only became effective in Feb‑2025 and surveys had not yet begun. A Jan‑2026 Argus interview says 2026 is for hiring seabed‑survey consultants and 2027–28 for marine studies and ESIA. UXO work will follow this timing, so UXO survey completion is moved to around end‑2027. --- As part of Phase 1 of the ESPIRE program, the Black Sea Submarine Cable Project plans to carry out an unexploded ordnance (UXO) survey along the selected seabed corridor in addition to geophysical and geotechnical investigations. World Bank documentation describes this UXO survey as a core element of the forthcoming seabed survey package, which will be procured and supervised with support to Georgian State Electrosystem, but it had not yet begun at the time of the latest referenced reports.