US backs Mediterranean undersea power cable, Rubio says

ATHENS, Oct 8 (Reuters) - The U.S. supports a European Union-backed undersea power cable project in the eastern Mediterranean and will use diplomatic efforts to overcome potential obstacles, Secretary of State Marco Rubio told Greek newspaper Kathimerini.

Greece's power grid operator IPTO is developing the €1.9 billion scheme, which aims to link the European mainland to Cyprus and later Israel. Progress has been slow amid a dispute between Greece and Turkey over the maritime area designated for laying the cable.

Greece wants to resume seabed surveying to determine the route soon, a move Turkey says would need prior coordination between the two countries as it crosses an area under a 2019 maritime deal with Libya, which Athens has rejected.

Rubio said in the interview, published on Thursday, that the U.S. was "very committed" to the project as it promotes energy supply diversification, which he said was necessary due to Russia's war in Ukraine and the situation in the Strait of Hormuz. "We understand there are some potential impediments, there are some things standing in the way, and we intend to use our diplomatic efforts to remind all parties how important this is to us and why this matters. And I hope to find resolutions," he said.

French investment group Meridiam signed an agreement in August to become the majority shareholder in the project. Cyprus is the only EU country that has no link to other members' electricity markets, and the cable aims to improve its energy security.