Cyprus planning to make gas pipeline with Israel
Cyprus is examining a plan which would pipe Israeli natural gas to the island nation, process it and export it by ship to Europe, amid an energy crunch compounded by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Cyrpiot energy Minister Natasa Pilides told the Associated Press the government is considering a licensing request for the project from energy company Energean, as it waits to see how much gas Israel would be willing to export.
She added that exporting gas in its liquified form by ship is a better alternative than running a pipeline to Europe.
“It’s lower cost, more technically feasible, and provides a lot of flexibility in terms of the export routes via vessels,” she told The Associated Press.
“And also, it’s a good opportunity for us to have infrastructure that is close to home so … if we want to utilize it for our own sources as well, then it will be an additional option,” she said. “It’s certainly worth discussing with our licensees.”
Energy cooperation between Cyprus and Israel is likely to rile up Turkey, whose ties with Israel sank to historic lows under Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
More recently, Erdogan has moved to patch up relations and expressed a desire for Turkey to serve as a transit point of Israeli gas to Europe.
