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Energy Minister George Papanastasiou will visit Israel again, confirming the statements made by the Prime Minister of Israel in relation to the energy cooperation between Cyprus and Israel. Papanastasiou said, among other things, that he will go to Israel for a meeting with his counterpart in connection with the planning of the construction of a gas pipeline from Israel to Cyprus.
He said that this will be for liquefaction and power generation purposes, and for the resolution of the outstanding issue concerning the Aphrodite field and the Israeli Ishai field, which is adjacent to the Cypriot field.
The Energy Minister also said that his discussions in Israel will involve the signing of an agreement so that the project can be put on track for implementation, noting that the relevant proposal came from Nicosia.
Referring to the issue concerning Israel, Mr. Papanastasiou said that the first stage is to sign an agreement to allow the construction of the pipeline, which will connect the two exclusive zones "And from there we start."
He added that this project will involve the transportation of natural gas to Cyprus, its liquefaction and then its transportation by ship to Europe, noting, however, that the markets in general may also be to Asia.
Regarding the timelines for the implementation of the project, the minister said that "once the political decision is taken and after the companies express interest, we will need two and a half years for liquefaction, but the pipeline for power generation purposes can be done in 18 months."
He also said that the Energy Ministry will hold a special workshop on May 29 with the participation of companies involved in the entire gas supply chain in the presence of the President of the Republic.
Asked about plans for EastMed, Papanastasiou said EastMed will be a corridor and it remains.
He added that "instead of a pipeline which is a connection between Israel and Europe, it can be through Cyprus and there will be a virtual pipeline which will connect Cyprus with the rest of Europe in the form of liquefied natural gas."
Finally, when asked if the Egyptian deposits are also linked to this plan, Mr. Papasastasiou said that he would like to know if the Egyptian deposits are also linked to this plan. Papanastasiou said that the planning around Egypt remains as it was as an alternative for the companies.
(PM/EP/SX)
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