Georgia has allocated 25 million GEL in the 2025 budget for the development of the Black Sea subsea cable, but only 6.5 million GEL was spent in the first ten months. The draft 2026 budget proposes another 25 million GEL for the project.
The Black Sea cable aims to connect Georgia’s electricity system with Europe via a 1,155 km high-voltage subsea transmission line to Romania. The project was formalized under a memorandum signed on December 17, 2022, by Georgia, Azerbaijan, Hungary and Romania.
Currently, the project awaits designation as a Project of Common Interest (PCI/PMI) by the European Union. EU officials note that if the PMI status is granted, the project will benefit from faster permitting processes and potential co-financing through the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) program.
The technical and economic feasibility study for the cable began in May 2022, led by Georgia with support from the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development and funding from the World Bank. The Italian energy consultancy CESI prepared the study to evaluate practical implementation and identify optimal project solutions.
