Greece supports Cyprus' electrical interconnection with Crete and Israel

He also stressed that "Greece does not abandon or isolate Cyprus," but, instead guarantees to support its financing by the EU for the most costly and technically difficult part of the power cable from Crete to Cyprus."

Concerning the Greece-Cyprus negotiations that led to a decision to go ahead with the Crete-Attica interconnection (which was part of the Cyprus-Israel interconnection) as national project, the minister stressed that this does not affect the strategic planning for Cyprus' electrical interconnection, since the Crete-Cyprus section remains a PCI.

"At the same time, the governments of Greece and Cyprus reaffirm their commitment to lift Cyprus' electrical isolation," Hatzidakis said, adding that the position reached by the two governments has been transferred to the relevant European Commission bodies.

Asked why Greece is pursuing the Crete-Attica interconnection as a national project, Hatzidakis said that Greece was called upon to make "a difficult decision, given the overwhelming need to secure Crete's long-term energy supply in an economical way."

"Expensive diesel-powered plants are only marginally able to meet the demand and in summer we have to rent generators to avoid the risk of power outages. These plants are also expected to close by the end of 2022, as their emissions are greater than the limits set by the European Union, which is turning to 'green' energy," Hatzidakis explained, noting that "Crete's interconnection with Greece's mainland electricity grid solves these problems."