Georgian First Deputy PM: Black Sea cable laying project to be discussed in Brussels

Georgian First Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development Levan Davitashvili told reporters that the Georgian government is working on a project together with Romanian colleagues to lay the Black Sea undersea cable, Azernews reports.

"The realization of the project of laying the Black Sea submarine cable to supply electricity to Europe, along with other issues, will be discussed at the meeting of the Georgia-EU Association Council in Brussels. Connect Georgia and Romania will be an alternative, and reliable channel to accelerate the formation of a digital hub in Georgia," he said.

The Deputy PM noted that the technical feasibility of the project has already been determined and confirmed.

"We are already talking about technical details of implementation, including fundraising and so on," Davitashvili said.

The agreement on laying the cable, through which electricity from Azerbaijan and Georgia will go to Europe, was signed in December 2022. The document was signed between the governments of Georgia, Azerbaijan, Romania, and Hungary.

The project aims to strengthen energy security in Europe and the South Caucasus, as well as to develop the renewable energy sector and increase transit opportunities.

The EU intends to invest 2.3 bln Euros to implement the project. The World Bank has promised to allocate an additional 75 million dollars to Georgia for a detailed study of the Black Sea bed.

If the project is realized, a 1,195 km cable with a capacity of 1,000 megawatts (1,100 km of submarine and 95 km of land cable) will connect Georgia with the Eastern Balkans.