Energy ministers of Cyprus, Greece, Israel, and Italy have set a target completion date of 2025 for the Eastern Mediterranean (EastMed) natural gas pipeline between Israel and Italy.
Meeting in Nicosia, the officials signed a memorandum of understanding for the 2,100-km project.
In a joint statement, they called the pipeline a strategic infrastructure project of shared interest to their countries and Europe. The European Union has designated the pipeline a “project of common interest.”
The pipeline would carry 12-16 billion cu m/year of gas from Leviathan field off Israel and Aphrodite field off Cyprus. Both fields are in deep water (OGJ Online, Mar. 14, 2017).
Development of the fields depends on availability of an export system, a goal made elusive by conflicts among countries in the region.
Earlier this year, countries signing the new MOU issued a declaration of support for the project during a meeting in Tel Aviv with a member of the European Commission (OGJ Online, Apr. 12, 2017).