Israel, Italy, Greece and Cyprus eye longest undersea gas pipeline

Israel, Italy, Greece and Cyprus pledge to move ahead with the world’s longest undersea gas pipeline from the eastern Mediterranean to southern Europe, with support from the European Union.

If carried out as planned, the long-discussed $6.2 billion pipeline will take gas from Israel and Cyprus’s recently discovered offshore gas reserves to Europe and could help reduce the Continent’s dependence on Russian energy at a time of ongoing tensions.

In a joint news conference in Tel Aviv, energy ministers from the four nations, as well as the EU’s Commissioner for Climate Action and Energy Miguel Arias Canete, pledge their commitment to the project.

Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz (2nd R), Cypriot Minister of Energy, Commerce, Industry and Tourism, Yiorgos Lakkotrypis (L) and Greek Economy minister Giorgos Stathakis after signing a pledge to build the world’s longest undersea gas pipeline, April 3, 2017. (AFP Photo/Jack Guez)Italy, Israel, Greece and Cyprus pledged to move ahead on the world’s longest undersea gas pipeline to take it from the eastern Mediterranean to southern Europe, with support from the European Union. / AFP PHOTO / JACK GUEZ

Feasibility studies had been completed, the ministers said, but work on developing it would not begin for several years — with current expectations for it to go online in 2025.

“This is going to be the longest and deepest sub-sea gas pipeline in the world,” said Israeli Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz.

— AFP