The EuroAfrica Interconnector was included in ENTSO-E’s Ten-Year Network Development Plan (TYNDP) 2022 as project number 1048, described as the Greece–Africa Power Interconnector (GAP Interconnector), formally recognising it within the European transmission planning framework.
On 13 April 2022, the chiefs and technical teams of Greece’s Independent Power Transmission Operator (IPTO) and the Egyptian Electricity Transmission Company (EETC) held a working meeting at IPTO’s headquarters to discuss technical issues and define next steps for implementing the 2,000 MW EuroAfrica Interconnector between Egypt, Cyprus and Greece.
On 13 April 2022, the heads of the Greek and Egyptian transmission system operators, IPTO’s Manos Manousakis and EETC’s Sabah Mashaly, held a working meeting at IPTO’s headquarters to discuss technical matters and next implementation steps for the EuroAfrica Interconnector, reinforcing TSO-level coordination on the planned 2,000 MW link.
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The EuroAfrica Interconnector is a planned multi-terminal HVDC subsea interconnector that will link the electricity grids of Egypt, Cyprus and Greece (via Crete). Designed as a bipolar VSC-based HVDC scheme with onshore converter stations in Egypt, Kofinou (Cyprus) and Crete, the end-state capaci...
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On 14 October, the energy ministers of Greece and Egypt, Kostas Skrekas and Mohamed Shaker, signed a memorandum of understanding in Athens to advance the EuroAfrica Interconnector, launching negotiations on an intergovernmental agreement and arrangements to finance the subsea HVDC cable linking Egypt, Cyprus and Greece.
By 18 September 2020, EuroAfrica Interconnector had received binding bids from two leading global cable suppliers for the 498 km Egypt–Cyprus HVDC subsea link, a €1 billion package that marks a key commercial step towards implementing the project’s first-phase interconnection.
In August 2020, the Republic of Cyprus issued the final building permit for the Egypt–Cyprus interconnection system, a key segment of the EuroAfrica Interconnector HVDC subsea cable project between Egypt, Cyprus, and Greece.
On 27 May 2020, Siemens AG was identified as the preferred bidder to supply and build the subsea electricity cable for the 1,000 MW EuroAfrica Interconnector linking Egypt to Cyprus and onward to Europe, with the project then expected to be completed by December 2023.
In April 2020, Siemens was selected as the preferred engineering, procurement, construction and installation (EPCI) contractor for the EuroAfrica Interconnector HVDC converter station in Egypt for Stage 1 of the project.
In April 2020, EuroAfrica Interconnector selected Siemens as the preferred EPCI contractor to build the HVDC VSC converter stations for the Egypt-Cyprus section of the 2,000 MW interconnector, following direct negotiations. The selection was publicly confirmed by September 2020 after securing the final building permit from Cyprus authorities for the converter station site.
On 8 April 2020, EuroAfrica Interconnector launched a €650 million tender for the engineering, procurement, construction and installation (EPCI) of a 1 GW subsea HVDC line linking Egypt, Cyprus and Greece (Crete and Attica), inviting interested parties to submit bids by 7 May 2020.
In November 2019, the Planning and Housing Bureau of Cyprus approved a planning permit for the EuroAfrica Interconnector’s 2,000 MW HVDC converter station in Cyprus, along with the landing points of the subsea cable linking the electricity networks of Egypt, Cyprus, and Greece (Crete) to the EU grid.
On 8 October 2019, at the 7th Trilateral Summit in Cairo, the presidents and prime minister of Egypt, Cyprus and Greece issued a joint declaration recognising the importance of establishing an electrical grid between the three countries, explicitly citing the framework agreement between EEHC and EuroAfrica Interconnector as the vehicle for this cooperation.
On 22 May 2019 in Cairo, EuroAfrica Interconnector and the Egyptian Electricity Transmission Company signed a framework agreement to implement the construction and commissioning of the EuroAfrica subsea cable system between Egypt and Cyprus, marking a key late‑stage development step towards project execution.
On 22 May 2019 in Cairo, EuroAfrica Interconnector CEO Nasos Ktorides and Eng. Sabah Mohamed Mashal, Chairperson of the Egyptian Electricity Transmission Company, signed a framework agreement to implement the construction and commissioning of the EuroAfrica Interconnector cable system between Egypt and Cyprus.
At the 6th Trilateral Summit held in Elounda, Crete on 10 October 2018, the leaders of Egypt, Cyprus and Greece again stressed the importance of the EuroAfrica Interconnector, politically endorsing the project as a key element of regional energy cooperation.
On 25 June 2018, Ioannis Kasoulides, Chairman of the EuroAfrica Strategic Council, handed Egypt’s Minister of Electricity Mohamed Shaker El‑Markabi a study for the 2,000 MW EuroAfrica Interconnector subsea electricity link, summarising key technical and strategic aspects of the project.
On 22–23 April 2018, the first Working Group meeting between EuroAfrica Interconnector and the Egyptian Electricity Holding Company took place in Cairo to advance technical and planning work for the Egypt–Cyprus–Greece HVDC link.
On 26 February 2018, Egypt’s Minister of Electricity and Renewable Energy Mohamed Shaker El‑Markabi and EuroAfrica Interconnector CEO Nasos Ktorides met in Cairo and approved the landing points, exact subsea cable route, and the sites of the HVDC converter stations for the EuroAfrica Interconnector, effectively fixing the detailed routing of the Egypt–Cyprus–Crete link.
On 6 February 2017, EuroAfrica Interconnector signed a cooperation agreement in Cairo with the Egyptian Electricity Holding Company (EEHC) / Egypt Electricity Company to execute the project studies for the planned 2,000 MW HVDC interconnector between Egypt, Cyprus and Greece, marking the formal start of structured technical and feasibility work on the scheme.
By 2026 the EuroAfrica Interconnector, a 1,396 km HVDC subsea cable linking the electricity grids of Egypt, Cyprus and Greece with an initial 1 GW capacity later rising to 2 GW, was reported to be in its early phase of construction, progressing physical works toward an expected operational role in the Mediterranean grid around 2030.
EU regulatory authorities approved the EuroAfrica Interconnector, providing formal regulatory backing at the European level for the planned 2,000 MW subsea electricity link between Egypt, Cyprus, and Greece.
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