Why Washington Should Support the Greece-Egypt Interconnector?

Support for the Greece-Egypt Interconnector (GREGY), an undersea electrical cable project, is gaining momentum. As Europe works to replace energy routes vulnerable to political pressure, the project offers a direct link between North Africa’s renewable supply and the European grid. By connecting two reliable partners, it strengthens regional cooperation while advancing U.S. interests in energy security, system resilience, and open-market infrastructure.

Recent agreements between Greece and Egypt lay the groundwork for implementation. Transmission operators from both countries, together with Greece’s Copelouzos Group, now prepare the next steps. Their work builds on formal recognition at the European level, as the European Union’s list of funded electricity interconnections now includes the project. The Greece-Egypt Interconnector will transfer up to 3,000 megawatts of renewable electricity from Egypt into the European grid via Greece.

It is a symbiotic relationship: Egypt is expanding solar and wind generation, and Greece offers grid access to European markets. The energy connection shortens the route between production and consumption, brings low-cost power north, and stabilizes supply. The project complements existing gas flows from the region, with gas moving west to Egypt for processing and export, while electricity moving north helps balance that flow, lowers emissions, reduces dependence on pipelines and wells, and adds resilience to the regional energy system.

The benefits are clear. European consumers face high energy costs and supply swings. For Southeast Europe, the link offers relief from both. For Egypt, it secures long-term buyers and supports investment in domestic infrastructure, while for Greece, it reinforces the country’s role as a regional energy hub. The link also provides an alternative to Iranian and Russian energy, and Turkish transit which often incorporates both.

Greek officials frame the project as central to both national and European energy strategy. Commenting on the agreement, Environment and Energy Minister Stavros Papastavrou called the Greece-Egypt Interconnector “of strategic importance for both countries and the entirety of the European Union.” He placed the interconnection within Greece’s broader policy to build new energy corridors between North and South, “in full alignment with the direction presented recently by European Commission.”

Other projects in the region advance under the same logic: connecting North Africa’s clean energy to European demand. The Greece-Africa Power Interconnector, a separate project linking Egypt to Crete, also moves forward. It will bring renewable electricity to the Greek islands and support new industrial uses. One linked initiative plans to convert imported solar and wind into green hydrogen on Crete, targeting 32,000 tons per year. While distinct from the mainland Greece-Egypt link, the project shows how clean electricity flows from North Africa can support both grid stability and fuel production.

These interconnections reflect a broader trend. A Euro-Mediterranean effort is underway to link African and European power grids. In Tunisia, the ELMED interconnector with Italy is moving forward, with Prysmian awarded a $534 million contract to build a 136-mile line between Cap Bon and Sicily, delivering 600 megawatts of capacity. While the Greece-Egypt Interconnector represents a larger, more ambitious link, both projects share a strategic goal: to position North Africa as a renewable energy hub for Europe.

Other interconnections in the Eastern Mediterranean follow different paths—for example, the line from Cyprus to Greece, with a planned extension to Israel, focuses on long-term integration but faces open questions on cost and compliance. These projects do not compete, as each addresses a distinct need on its own timeline, but Greece is positioned to serve as the junction for all.

As this network of cross-border links grows, the strategic case for U.S. involvement in the Greece-Egypt Interconnector project becomes sharper. It supports European energy stability, limits the use of fuel as a political tool of hostile states, and binds two regional partners. It also opens competitive contracts for U.S. manufacturers, engineers, and service firms without subsidies or mandates.

Projects like the Greece-Egypt Interconnector strengthen Europe’s energy backbone and with it, the resilience of the transatlantic alliance. They reduce space for rival powers to exploit dependency or instability in the region. Strategic engagement here does not require direct control, but it helps shape standards, protect transparency, and counter rival models of influence.

U.S. support can remain limited and focused. It may include political risk insurance, long-term finance, technical assistance on system operations, and diplomatic coordination across permitting and market access. Early involvement reduces volatility and strengthens allies before crises hit. This is not just a cable; it is a signal that clean energy can move faster than coercion, that cooperation can set the terms, and that the region’s future can be built through partnerships that deliver. The window to act is open, but the cost of delay grows.