Greece launched an international tender for a study on the feasibility of a proposed pipeline to carry gas from Israel and Cyprus in an effort to reduce dependence on Russian supplies. The Eastern Mediterranean Pipeline (Med pipeline) is designed to initially carry 8 bcm of Israeli and Cypriot gas. It would stretch from Israel’s Leviathan natural gas field to Greece and onto European markets through the IGI-Poseidon pipeline, led by Italian utility Edison and state-controlled Greek utility DEPA.
For Cyprus, the pipeline is one of three so-called Projects of Common Interest (PCI) involving the island, approved by the European Commission, which has backed 250 power and gas projects designed to curb reliance on Russian gas imports and create a single market. The other two are Cypriot plans to create a Liquefied Natural Gas terminal on its southern coast, and a subsea electricity cable linking Israel, Cyprus and Greece.