The U.S. State Department has publicly backed the Great Sea Interconnector, the undersea electricity cable that would co...

The U.S. State Department has publicly backed the Great Sea Interconnector, the undersea electricity cable that would connect Greece, Cyprus, and Israel, after a bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers pushed the Trump administration to make the project a priority. A State Department spokesperson told the Athens-Macedonian News Agency that the United States supports energy security and cooperation in the Eastern Mediterranean, including through the Eastern Mediterranean Energy Center. The spokesperson added that the Trump administration remains committed to strengthening key energy partnerships that advance global energy security and promote a more secure and prosperous future with energy sufficiency for the United States and its partners. The statement followed a bipartisan letter sent by members of Congress to Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the head of the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation. In the letter, the lawmakers urged the Trump administration to prioritize the Greece-Cyprus-Israel electricity interconnection, linking the project directly to the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor and U.S. strategic interests in the region. The State Department's statement also comes after a significant financing development earlier this month. On August 5, French investment group Meridiam signed an agreement to become the majority shareholder in the company set up to build and fund the Great Sea Interconnector, injecting private capital into a project that had long struggled to secure backing. The Great Sea Interconnector has been in development for years as a way to integrate Israeli and Cypriot renewable energy into the European grid while reducing dependence on fossil fuels from unstable suppliers. U.S. support, combined with Meridiam's entry, could accelerate the project considerably. #GreatSeaInterconnector #EasternMediterranean #EnergyPolicy