Greek Cypriots can also receive Turkish electricity
by Daily Sabah with AP
ISTANBULNov 19, 2016 - 12:00 am GMT+3
by Daily Sabah with AP
Nov 19, 2016 12:00 am
An electricity cable that will link Turkey with the breakaway Turkish Cypriot north of divided Cyprus can also supply power to Greek Cypriots in the internationally recognized south, a Turkish Cypriot official said Friday.
Metin Ozerem, a senior official with the Turkish Cypriot energy ministry, said Greek Cypriots can also receive Turkish electricity if the power grid's technical details are ironed out.
Turkish Cypriots signed an agreement last month with the Turkish government to link the north with the cable that will meet the north's growing energy needs. It is unclear when the project will be completed. The power generation in the north is less than reliable, requiring authorities in the south to offer power to the north on several occasions in recent years.
"The project will help us to generate electricity at a more stable electrical network," Özeren told the Associated Press in an email.
The planned electricity link comes on the heels of last year's completion of a pipeline ferrying water from the Turkish mainland to the drought-prone north. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was on hand last October for the opening ceremony of the pipeline where he also offered water to Greek Cypriots.
Greek Cypriot government spokesman Nicos Christodoulides said the electricity cable deal is not doing anything to help talks aimed at reunifying the island. Greek Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades and Turkish Cypriot President Mustafa Akıncı are meeting in Mont Pelerin, Switzerland for two days next week to lock down how much territory either side will administer under an envisioned federation.
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