Page 6 - MEOG Week 04 2022
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MEOG                                   PIPELINES & TRANSPORT                                           MEOG


       US drops support




       for EastMed pipeline






        EAST MED         THE US has dropped its support for the EastMed   Cyprus, Greece and Israel signed a “historic”
                         pipeline that would bring Mediterranean gas to  agreement in January 2020 on EastMed, which
                         Europe, representing a major blow for the stalled  the EU labelled as a project of common interest
                         project.                             (PCI), as it would help reduce Southeast Europe’s
                           The US State Department issued a statement  reliance on Russian gas. It would carry 9-12bn
                         on January 10 stating it was withdrawing support  cubic metres per year of gas, mostly extracted off
                         for EastMed in favour of projects to bring renew-  the coast of Israel but potentially also supplies
                         able energy to Europe.               from Cyprus, to Italy and other south-eastern
                           “We remain committed to physically inter-  European countries via Greece.
                         connecting East Med energy to Europe,” the State   Washington’s dropping of support has
                         Department said. “We are shifting our focus to  prompted criticism from the countries involved
                         electricity interconnectors that can support both  in the pipeline. Media in Greece, for example,
                         gas and renewable energy sources.”   suggested that the US was making a concession
                           In EastMed’s stead, Washington has now  to Turkey, which strongly opposes EastMed, as
                         lent its support to projects such as EuroAfrica,  it would help Cyprus capitalise on its natural
                         which calls for the construction of a power cable  gas reserves, which Ankara-backed Northern
                         linking Egypt and Greece, and EuroAsia, which  Cyprus claims as its own.
                         proposes creating a link between Israel, Cyprus   Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan
                         and mainland Europe.                 said on January 18 that the project did not make
                           “Such projects would not only connect vital  economic sense and that was why Washington
                         energy markets but would also help prepare the  had withdrawn its support. He said that any such
                         region for the clean energy transition,” the State  energy infrastructure project in the region had to
                         Department said.                     go through Turkey.™

















































       P6                                       www. NEWSBASE .com                        Week 04   26•January•2022
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