Cyprus-Lebanon power cable talks begin, aimed at exporting surplus renewables
Official talks have started on an undersea electricity cable linking Cyprus and Lebanon, which could let the island export renewable energy that currently goes to waste.
Official talks on a planned undersea electricity cable between Cyprus and Lebanon have begun, with former energy minister George Papanastasiou telling the Cyprus Mail that the link would allow the island to send renewable energy to Lebanon that is currently wasted.
He explained that at peak production times, Cyprus' renewable energy infrastructure – typically solar farms – generates more than the grid can consume, forcing those facilities to be temporarily disconnected to avoid overload. The cable, he said, would offer Cyprus "an outlet to push green energy to Lebanon".
Papanastasiou stressed, however, that the cable would not remove the need for energy storage. "You would still need the storage facilities. Otherwise, you would be sending unstable and unreliable energy. The batteries which they plan to install would still need to be installed, even with the cable," he said. Storage is meant to let energy generated at peak times be used at night and in bad weather, when Cyprus relies more heavily on fossil fuels.
For Lebanon, the benefits appear clearer. Papanastasiou said the cable would offer the country "security of supply" and a "stable supply" of electricity, provided Cyprus' own grid remains stable. Problems could still arise on the Lebanese side. "There is no national grid of which to speak in Lebanon. Many compounds exist as standalone electricity islands with their own generators. There may be a grid of sorts, but it is in a state of destruction," he said.
The next step, he said, is for those involved to "sit down and conduct a study" on feasibility. "Given that Lebanon is currently under the observation of the World Bank, it was decided that they would be asked to fund the study." Any substantial agreement would need the consent of both regulators – Cyprus' Cera and Lebanon's electricity regulatory authority, founded last September.
The project would move forward in three stages: a cost-benefit analysis, a cross-border cost allocation agreement setting each country's share, and finally the design. Papanastasiou said the design would be "easier than the Great Sea Interconnector" – the planned Cyprus-Greece-Israel link – because the cable would cover a much shorter distance. He also noted a "geopolitical element, related to Turkey", saying "we expect that there will be a reaction from Turkey", though he believed any objection "would not be based on any kind of international law".
The talks follow a July agreement between the Cypriot and Lebanese governments and the World Bank to prepare a preliminary feasibility study. Like Cyprus, Lebanon is isolated from neighbouring grids, though it signed a deal with Syria on July 2 aimed at an electricity interconnection. Of the two interconnection plans put forward for Cyprus, only the Great Sea Interconnector has been endorsed by the Republic of Cyprus; Entso-E has not included a Turkey-Cyprus cable in its ten-year development plan.
What it means for residents
The cable would not change household bills or the grid overnight, and it does not replace the storage capacity Cyprus still needs. But it could reduce the practice of cutting solar farms off the grid at peak times, which is money and clean energy lost.
- No immediate change to bills or supply. Talks are at the study stage, with the World Bank expected to fund the feasibility work.
- Storage remains the priority. Without batteries, surplus solar power cannot be shifted to evening demand, whether or not the cable is built.
- Watch the regional angle. Turkish objections and unresolved maritime disputes could slow progress, as with the Great Sea Interconnector.
info.cy editorial team. This note was prepared with the help of AI.
This text is written from the source article and is not a translation of it.
