How the World’s Longest Energy Cable Can Power Europe and Beyond

When energy consultants met with Georgian officials in the Black Sea coastal town of Anaklia in April, they began mapping the route for a historic project: the world’s longest submarine electricity cable.

Running for 1,100 kilometers—from Anaklia to the coast of Romania—, the cable, with a capacity of 1,000–1,500 MW, will connect the power grid of the South Caucasus to Europe. This bold undertaking is set to transform Georgia into a key exporter of renewable energy, while strengthening its ties to Europe and reinforcing its reputation as a reliable transit country.

The cable plan was announced in Bucharest in December 2022, when the leaders of Georgia, Azerbaijan, Hungary and Romania signed a strategic partnership on green energy transmission. Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, immediately heralded the “ambitious project” and its potential to reinforce Europe’s energy security.

“The two shores of the Black Sea have never been closer,” she tweeted. “The Black Sea electric cable is a new transmission route full of opportunities. It could integrate Georgia to our electricity market and bring electricity to our neighbors in the Western Balkans, Moldova and, of course, Ukraine. Let’s work together to make it real.”

A transmission network with Georgian roots

The submarine cable is a Georgian concept. To identify the key locations for the project, Georgian officials and consultants from the Italian engineering company CESI traveled inland to the Jvari 500 kV power station, where the cable will connect with Georgia’s energy system. “We have already selected the route and the location of the transit stations,” says Stefano Malgarotti, Director of Engineering Consulting at CESI.

At the intersection of Europe and Asia, Georgia plays an important role as a transit country for oil and gas. Zviad Gachechiladze, a member of the board of directors of the Georgian State Electrosystem (GSE), says the country has great aspirations for exporting its abundant supplies of clean energy.

“We wanted to have something that was ours—not just passing through,” he explained at Energy Week Black Sea 2023 in February. He is confident that the plan is attractive to investors. “Stakeholders are pushing for higher capacity, and the EU needs more green and cheap energy,” he said. “We have donors eager to finance the project.”

Georgia’s clean energy ambitions are clear from the 202 renewable projects it has under development: 153 hydropower plants, 18 wind power facilities and 31 solar plants. Georgia is in an “active phase” of clean energy development and has “huge” untapped potential, according to Romeo Mikautadze, Deputy Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development.

Speaking at the Assembly of the International Renewable Energy Agency in Abu Dhabi in January, Mikautadze outlined in Georgia’s 10-year energy network development plan and its plans to promote competition in its wholesale market. “A competitive market will facilitate the efficient use of opportunities for cross-border trade with our neighbors and the opening of the sector to competitive forces, including foreign participants and investors,” he said.

The submarine cable is a key part of this plan, harnessing Georgia’s green energy supply as well as energy produced by wind farms in neighboring Azerbaijan. With only around 30% of Georgia’s renewable energy resources currently being utilized, the cable project could unlock the sector’s potential.

Finding a middle way

Georgia’s push to increase clean energy generation and exports comes at a time of great interest in the Middle Corridor between Europe and Asia—an increasingly important trade gateway now that conflict, energy shortages and sanctions have disrupted other supply routes. Georgian Minister of Foreign Affairs Ilia Darchiashvili has highlighted the value of Georgia’s “safe, stable and timely” provision of cargo and energy through this Eurasian channel, and says the submarine cable project has given Georgia “new European purpose.”

The project’s challenges are an indication of Georgia’s ambition. The depth of the Black Sea, which can reach 2,250 meters, means that this will be the world’s deepest submarine electric cable. This interconnection project will also include an optical fiber cable (OFC) that will increase broadband data capacity and speed, improving connectivity and supporting the growth of Georgia’s expanding IT sector.

In his annual end-of-year address on Dec. 27, Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili indicated that energy is a main priority for the country. He anticipates “about $3 billion” of investments into energy projects in the next three years as Georgia aims to not only supply its own needs, but also become a major clean energy exporter. “We need to build new generation facilities, such as wind, solar and hydropower plants, so that we can sell our share of electricity in the EU, which will bring hundreds of millions of dollars in revenues for our country,” he said.

Notably, a 96 MW solar facility is being developed in eastern Georgia with investment from Masdar, a UAE-based renewable energy company, and wind power plants are planned in western Terjola and Tkibuli. Georgia has more than 20,000 rivers, with 300 of them offering opportunities for hydropower generation.

In February, Garibashvili met with von der Leyen at the Munich Security Conference, and they discussed the significance of the Black Sea submarine electricity cable. The Prime Minister also underlined energy-rich Georgia’s credentials for European Union candidate status.

“We need to attract additional investment in the energy sector,” says Garibashvili. “We need to accelerate the pace and build as many [hydropower plants] in Georgia as possible, be it small, medium or large.”

Whether by harnessing fast-running rivers or transporting electricity far beneath the sea, the ancient nation of Georgia is bringing its energy to the world.