Cyprus pushing ahead with LNG import terminal despite headwinds in Port News 22/06/2026 Cyprus is pushing ahead to finish its long-delayed, first LNG import terminal, even as the recent trade disruptions from the war in the Middle East sharpen the EU’s resolve to cut down dependencies on energy imports, Cyprus Energy Minister Michael Damianos told Platts, part of S&P Global Energy, in a recent interview. Speaking June 15, the minister stressed that while the East Mediterranean nation is also focused on building out renewable capabilities, it will also need natural gas for years to come to complement intermittent solar output. “Gas is definitely going to be a bridge fuel, and it’s going to be a bridge fuel for maybe three decades — if not three, then it’s going to be two,” Damianos said. Nicosia has devoted about a decade to developing the terminal at the southern port of Vasilikos. The effort has been mired in delays and disputes, including the termination of the initial EPC contract with a consortium led by China Petroleum Pipeline Engineering, according to an S&P Global Energy CERA analysis. The project sits in a sort of limbo, half-built. The government aims to select a new contractor for the remaining work by the end of 2026, Damianos said, though he did not provide further details on when the Vasilikos terminal could be completed. Cyprus faces a degree of energy isolation unique among EU member states, with no direct connection to external electricity sources. A major project to develop a subsea interconnector with Greece is not expected to link the state to the wider EU grid before 2031, the minister said. In the meantime, some 85% of Cyprus’ energy supplies came from imported oil and oil products in 2023, which fueled about 80% of its electricity generation the same year, according to the latest data from the International Energy Agency. Damianos is determined to deliver the planned regasification facility, in part, because he sees it as the quickest