Christodoulides says Cyprus ready for GSI seabed surveys
The president says Nicosia has done everything required on its side for the surveys to begin, and that the €25m payment to ADMIE is on schedule.
President Nikos Christodoulides said on Monday that his government has finished everything within its remit so that seabed surveys for the Great Sea Interconnector can get under way, as reported by Cyprus Mail. He also confirmed that the €25 million contribution to Greece's independent power transmission operator ADMIE is being paid on the agreed timetable.
Questioned about a Navtex notice for the survey work, Christodoulides declined to go into detail, saying the less is said in public the better, and noted this was also the informal understanding with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and French President Emmanuel Macron. He insisted Cyprus has fulfilled the requirements expected of it, and that the government is sticking to the deals it signed.
“We are taking the steps we need to take and, away from the public spotlight, we are doing what we need to do,” he said.
On the Turkish Cypriot response to Nicosia flagging a planned Turkey-to-north gas pipeline with the EU, the president said he saw no grounds for objections and called the proposed link an illegal venture, adding that the EU has already set out its position and acted towards Turkey on the matter.
What it means for residents
The interconnector is billed as a route to cheaper and more secure power, but the practical effects will only reach bills years from now; what matters this week is that the paperwork and payments are moving, not stalling.
- Watch the surveys. Once marine work starts, expect Navtex notices and local sea-area restrictions — relevant if you fish, sail or run boat trips.
- Budget cautiously. No tariff change follows from this announcement; treat any claim of immediate savings with scepticism.
- Follow the money. The €25m is public spending, so keep an eye on how the project's cost and timeline are reported.
This text is written from the source article and is not a translation of it.
