Turkey, TRNC sign landmark energy deal

By Ebru Sengul

ISTANBUL (AA) - Turkey and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) signed an energy protocol Tuesday for the construction of an undersea electricity cable link between the two countries.

Energy and Natural Resources Minister Berat Albayrak and TRNC Economy and Energy Minister Sunat Atun signed the deal on the sidelines of 23rd World Energy Congress in Istanbul, of which Anadolu Agency is the global communication partner.

"The electricity deal with the TRNC will contribute not only to the well-being of the TRNC but also the entire region," Albayrak told a news conference.

"Turkey plays an important role in energy. The Turkish Stream project that was signed yesterday [Monday] can be considered one of the biggest global expansions in this sense," said Atun.

Atun said the current agreement builds on a 2011 deal between Turkey and TRNC to allow the Turkish Petroleum Corp. (TPAO) to conduct onshore and offshore oil exploration.

"This is a historic opportunity for us to be a part of the interconnected system around us, especially at a time where energy has more importance in the Middle East," Atun said, adding that the project will enable energy to be transported to the southern parts of the Middle East.

He said he hoped that another project will allow for electricity and water to be conveyed to other places through the TRNC, like the Turkish Stream.

"I previously made a call to southern Cyprus to build a mutual transmission line, and I reiterate this call," he stressed.

The agreement between Turkey and TRNC includes upgraded electricity infrastructure, development of power supply security, the construction of interconnected systems, mutual cooperation on renewable energy, the application of regulations in the electricity area, as well as exploration for new oil and natural gas resources.

In a separate meeting, a consortium of experts will discuss details of the route, including the project’s length and cost.

- Water supply project

Turkey, a benefactor and protector of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus since the 1974 Cyprus Peace Operation and the TRNC’s establishment in 1983, has long planned to provide fresh water to the island, which is short of its own resources.

In 2011, when he was Turkey’s prime minister, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan officially launched a water supply project to provide the TRNC with fresh water for the next 50 years.

The first fresh water from Turkey to TRNC was sent last October and has continued without interruption under a protocol between the two countries.

The project supplies around 75 million cubic meters of water to the TRNC annually.