Egypt and Greece agreed to accelerate the 3GW Egypt–Europe electricity interconnection project via Cyprus, Al Mal reported on August 15, citing a statement from the Egyptian Minister of Electricity and Renewable Energy.

The project, first announced in February 2017, is a planned cross-border energy link that will transmit renewable power from Egypt to Europe via Greece. It involves building large-scale solar and wind farms in Egypt, connecting them to a high-voltage direct current (HVDC) subsea cable linking Egypt, Cyprus, and Greece. 

The agreement to accelerate movement on the project followed a meeting in Cairo between Egypt’s Minister of Electricity and Renewable Energy, Mahmoud Esmat, and Dimitris Copelouzos, head of Greece’s Copelouzos Group, at which they reviewed progress thus far and pledged to provide necessary support. 

Discussions between Esmat and Copelouzos covered project locations, transmission line routes, outcomes of meetings between electricity grid operators in Egypt and Greece, and the developer, as well as tendering procedures and European bids.

Talks also addressed upgrades to the unified grids in both countries and readiness to integrate the additional capacity for transmission to the European power network, according to the ministry statement.

On May 7, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi visited Greece to reinforce bilateral relations and lay the foundation for a comprehensive strategic partnership. A joint declaration on a strategic partnership was signed, establishing closer cooperation across various fields and launching the first meeting of the High-Level Cooperation Council.

Both countries are exploring ways to enhance collaboration in the economy, trade, investment, tourism, technology, and entrepreneurship. Talks also cover speeding up the deployment of Egyptian seasonal workers in Greek agriculture and expanding the labour agreement to other sectors.