EU following Black Sea green cable project from Azerbaijan with great interest

The EU is following with great interest the initiative of laying out a high-voltage direct current bidirectional interconnector under the Black Sea (Black Sea Energy), which involves the supply of green energy from Azerbaijan to Europe via Georgia and Romania, an EU official representative told Report.

"Commission President Ursula von der Leyen participated in Bucharest in December 2022 in the signing ceremony of the Memorandum of Understanding on a green energy partnership between Hungary, Romania, Georgia and Azerbaijan. The European Commission participates as an observer in this important process, under which a broader green energy corridor is envisaged, including a more ambitious undersea cable project and possible trade routes for hydrogen from renewable sources. We welcome that more countries have signaled interest in joining this initiative," he noted.

"The Black Sea Energy project is included as a flagship project under the EU Global Gateway strategy, which opens opportunities for EU funding under our instrument of international cooperation.

It was also submitted by its promoters as a candidate Project of Mutual Interest under the EU’s framework for cross-border energy infrastructure (TEN-E Regulation) in late 2024. We will now proceed with the necessary analyses and consultations while preparing the next list of Projects of Common Interest and Projects of Mutual Interest. Obtaining such a status allows projects to become eligible for EU financial support under the Connecting Europe Facility," he added.

Black Sea Energy provides for the supply of green energy generated in the Azerbaijani sector of the Caspian Sea to Georgia, and then via a cable laid along the Black Sea bed to Europe. This corridor plans to export 4 GW of green energy annually.

The feasibility study development is already in its final stage. The construction of the facility will take three-four years. The European Commission plans to allocate 2.3 billion euros for the project.

On December 17, 2022, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Romania, and Hungary signed a strategic partnership agreement in Bucharest for the construction of the 1,195 km Black Sea Energy underwater electric cable. In May 2024, energy operators from Azerbaijan, Romania, Georgia, and Hungary signed a memorandum to establish a joint venture as part of the Black Sea Energy implementation. In June 2023, Bulgaria announced its intention to join the project. Serbia and Moldova have also expressed interest in participating.