The United States is actively lobbying for the Great Sea Interconnector (GSI) — a planned undersea electricity cable linking Greece, Cyprus, and Israel — to be elevated as a top strategic priority within Greece's Eastern Mediterranean agenda, according to a report by Greek City Times. Washington reportedly views the interconnector as a critical pillar of energy security and regional connectivity, increasingly framing it within the broader architecture of the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC).

Why the US Is Backing the GSI

For Washington, the Great Sea Interconnector is more than an electricity project. A bipartisan group of US lawmakers has written to Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Ben Black, head of the US International Development Finance Corporation (DFC), urging greater American engagement with the project. The lawmakers describe the Eastern Mediterranean as a potential gateway to IMEC and characterise the GSI as strategically important infrastructure for the corridor's development.

According to the report, the representatives argue that projects like the GSI could strengthen US partners, diversify energy supply routes, and deepen regional cooperation — while offering alternatives to infrastructure controlled or influenced by strategic rivals. They have also reportedly requested a classified briefing from the Trump administration on geopolitical risks that could affect the project's completion.

The Meridiam Deal and Project Momentum

A recent agreement in Athens allowing French investment group Meridiam to become the majority shareholder in the company behind the Great Sea Interconnector has raised expectations that the project will advance to its next implementation phase, the report notes. The development is seen as a significant commercial milestone that could unlock the financing and political momentum the project has long required.

What the GSI Means for Each Country

The proposed interconnector is designed to create two-way electricity flows between Europe and the Eastern Mediterranean. For Cyprus, the project carries particular significance — it could effectively end the island's long-standing energy isolation, connecting it to the broader European grid for the first time. For Israel, the link would add an additional layer of energy security. For Greece, it would cement the country's role as an energy bridge between Europe and the Eastern Mediterranean region.

The IMEC Connection

IMEC was first unveiled by India at the G20 summit in New Delhi in 2023 and is now widely regarded as the democratic world's strategic counterweight to China's Belt and Road Initiative. The US framing of the GSI as part of IMEC's energy and connectivity architecture signals a broader ambition: to knit together Europe, the Middle East, and India through infrastructure that bypasses rivals' spheres of influence. Notably, this is the first time a specific undersea power link has been publicly tied to IMEC's physical infrastructure by US lawmakers.

As geopolitical competition over global infrastructure intensifies, the GSI's next phase — and the pace of US diplomatic and financial backing — will be closely watched by all stakeholders along the IMEC corridor.