Northern Cyprus is getting a gas pipeline from Turkey

Samira Sinjab
Jul 12
8 min read

Sometimes you only realize how big politics really is in everyday life.

A hot afternoon in Northern Cyprus is sometimes enough to understand how important reliable energy is. The air conditioning needs to run, the lights in the restaurant need to stay on, the kitchen needs to keep working, and the day needs to simply follow its own rhythm. When the power suddenly goes out, you immediately realize that security of supply isn't an abstract political issue, but something that impacts everyday life. That's precisely why the planned natural gas pipeline from Turkey to Northern Cyprus is so important.

On paper, it sounds like a technical matter: a pipeline under the sea, a contract, a power plant, an energy project. But for the people who live, work, invest, vacation, or have built a second home in Northern Cyprus, it means something much more tangible. It means the hope for a more stable electricity supply, better planning, more modern energy, and cleaner air on the north coast.

Anyone currently traveling between Girne, Esentepe, and Alagadi will immediately understand what this is about. Just a few days ago, we wrote about Alagadi, Turtle Beach, and Ercan —this special place with turtle nests in the sand. Not far from there stands Teknecik, the large power plant of the north. It's part of the reality of this coastline, and at the same time, many people here long for a cleaner, quieter, and more reliable energy future. The new gas pipeline could be a crucial step toward achieving that.

What is to be created now

According to recent reports, the pipeline is planned to run from Anamur on the Turkish Mediterranean coast to Teknecik in Northern Cyprus. Anamur is located in the province of Mersin, on the southern Turkish coast, which is geographically closest to Northern Cyprus. Teknecik lies east of Győr and is the main power station in the north.

The Cyprus Mail, citing Turkish Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar, reports that two parallel 22-inch pipelines are planned. Previous reports indicated a sea route of approximately 97 kilometers, costs of around $700 million, and a target completion year of 2028. This is the truly remarkable aspect: a long-discussed idea is now becoming a tangible timeline. If all goes according to plan, construction will begin immediately, and gas could be flowing to Northern Cyprus in about two years. [Cyprus Mail on the signing of the gas memorandum , Cyprus Mail on previous statements by Erhan Arıklı]

For everyday life, this means that if the plan succeeds, Northern Cyprus could secure part of its electricity generation with natural gas from 2028 onwards. Teknecik would need to be modernized, adapted, or supplemented for this purpose. The publicly available information primarily indicates the direction: away from heavier, more expensive, and dirtier fuels, towards a cleaner bridging technology.

Natural gas is a bridging technology. Compared to heavy fuel oil and diesel, it burns significantly cleaner. Less soot, less sulfur emissions, less visible air pollution. For the people on the north coast, for families, hotels, restaurants, schools, workshops, and everyone who lives here day in and day out, this would be a very tangible benefit.

KIB-TEK therefore describes the project as a historic transformation process in the energy sector, linking it to security of supply, efficiency, lower costs, and more environmentally friendly electricity generation. KIB-TEK's Post about KIB-TEK and the energy transition .

Why something like this is never easy for Northern Cyprus

From the outside, one might ask: Why is such an obvious step taking so long? Turkey is close, Northern Cyprus needs energy, Teknecik needs modernization, so a pipeline should really be a given.

Cyprus is unfortunately never that simple. On this island, almost every major piece of infrastructure is also a political statement. A water pipeline, a gas pipeline, a power cable, a port, an airport: all of these immediately raise the question of who is recognized, who gets to decide, who is involved, and who fears that new developments will solidify the division.

The Republic of Cyprus has therefore strongly criticized the memorandum. From Nicosia's perspective, it is the internationally recognized state that must be involved in major energy projects on or around the island. The Cyprus Mail reports that the government in Nicosia also intends to raise the issue at the EU level. Cyprus Mail on the criticism from the southern Cypriot side

This concern is understandable. A permanent connection between Turkey and Northern Cyprus makes the north more visible, more stable, and stronger in terms of infrastructure. It creates a link that endures in everyday life and changes the political reality of the island.

From the perspective of people in the north, however, the question sounds much simpler and much more human: A growing country needs reliable supplies. Households, businesses, hotels, and families need energy that is more affordable, stable, and cleaner. A place that attracts people and wants to build a future needs the infrastructure that supports it.

This is precisely where the tension lies. The South focuses on law, recognition, and jurisdiction. The North focuses on daily life, basic needs, and development. After so many years of waiting for recognition, for a viable political solution, or at least for a fair form of equality, this country now needs one thing above all: reliable foundations for daily life. Water, energy, electricity, planning security. Both are true. And that is precisely why the path forward is so difficult.

Why movement is only now becoming possible

The fact that this project is becoming so visible right now is also related to the broader political situation. Turkey is being courted more intensely by the US and within NATO. Following the NATO summit in Ankara, international media reported renewed activity regarding the question of whether Turkey could be brought closer to the F-35 program again. Trump and Erdoğan repeatedly emphasize their personal relationship publicly; at the same time, very pragmatic interests are at play behind the scenes. The US wants to keep Turkey within the Western alliance system. Turkey wants to be more strongly integrated militarily, politically, and economically. ( Financial Times on the possible reassessment of the Turkey/F-35 question ; Wall Street Journal on the debate surrounding the F-35, Trump, and Congress.)

A direct agreement between Trump and Erdoğan regarding this specific pipeline has not been publicly documented. But it does indicate a shift in the political climate. As Ankara regains importance in the Western security sphere, Turkey's room for maneuver in the Eastern Mediterranean also expands. And if the US wants to forge closer ties with Turkey, it will also consider the issues that are truly important to Ankara: security, energy, influence, Cyprus, and the Mediterranean. Perhaps this gas pipeline between Turkey and Northern Cyprus is one of the small pieces of the puzzle now being moved in this larger game?

This could be a window of opportunity for Northern Cyprus. Sometimes local projects only become possible when higher-level politics makes some concessions. For residents of Lapta, Esentepe, Girne, or Famagusta, this may feel abstract. But ultimately, it could mean that a long-discussed project suddenly becomes politically feasible.

Water, gas, and later probably also electricity

Northern Cyprus has already experienced such a change: with the water pipeline from Turkey. Water from Anatolia transformed the supply of the north. In a country where summers are long, hot, and dry, water is not a trivial matter. Water is essential for gardens, agriculture, households, hotels, daily life, and the future.

If gas is now installed, a second lifeline will be created. And if a power cable is later added, this connection would expand even further. According to current sources, such a power cable is on the political agenda as a future project. It belongs to the same goal: to make Northern Cyprus less dependent on old, expensive, and unreliable supply routes. Cyprus Mail on gas pipeline and power cable plans

Many also ask about Akkuyu, the large nuclear power plant in the Turkish province of Mersin. Its proximity sounds appealing. But electricity requires its own infrastructure: a submarine cable, substations, technical coordination, contracts, and political approval. This also illustrates how difficult energy policy is in Cyprus. The distance is short, but the political path is long. AP on Akkuyu as a Turkish nuclear project on the Mediterranean coast

Why the gas fields in the sea belong

The new pipeline is initially a supply line from Turkey to Northern Cyprus. It is intended to bring gas to Teknecik and help generate electricity there in a cleaner, quieter and more reliable manner.

At the same time, it opens up a much larger topic: the gas fields around Cyprus. We have written about this in detail in the article "The Gas Fields of Cyprus: Why the Republic of Cyprus Suddenly Needs the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus ".

According to current information, two pipelines are designed to be usable in both directions: one from Turkey to Northern Cyprus and the other from Northern Cyprus to Turkey. This makes them strategically interesting. They could one day not only transport gas to the north but also open up a practical route for extracted gas from the region to reach Europe via Turkey.

This is precisely where a supply issue becomes a major energy question. Offshore gas only becomes truly valuable when it can be safely transported to its markets. A connection towards Greece remains technically challenging and politically difficult. The short route to the Turkish coast, on the other hand, is practically on our doorstep and would be ready from 2028, but it requires a solution, or at least a solid agreement, on the Cyprus issue.

That's precisely why this new pipeline is so exciting. The recognized rights to the southern Cypriot gas fields remain with the Republic of Cyprus, while the geographical proximity to the Turkish coast makes a practical question increasingly apparent: Which route is ultimately safe, affordable, and politically viable? Anyone who wants to extract, sell, and transport gas needs security. And lasting security in Cyprus will only be achieved if the north, south, Turkey, the EU, and the international partners involved find a solution that is sustainable for everyone.

What this could mean for people in Northern Cyprus

For the local people, what matters most is much simpler than grand geopolitics.

On a hot summer day, what matters is whether the electricity supply remains stable. Whether a restaurant can serve its guests, a hotel can reliably cool its doors, a tradesman can continue working, and a family can better plan its expenses.

The air quality on the north coast is equally important. If Teknecik works more cleanly, the changes won't just be on paper, but will actually happen where people live, walk, raise children, vacation, and sit by the sea in the evenings.

Northern Cyprus is growing. And this growth needs an infrastructure that matches the beauty of this country: its villages, its beaches, its tourism, its people, and its plans for the future.

Of course, this new arrangement will also strengthen ties with Turkey. That's part of the truth. But for many people in the north, the first noticeable difference will be whether supplies become more reliable, whether Teknecik can operate more cleanly, and whether everyday life becomes easier.

Perhaps this message should therefore be read with a friendly eye: with a keen awareness of the political tensions and at the same time with an open mind for what can be improved.

Northern Cyprus needs reliable energy, clean air, water, electricity, planning, and courage. Perhaps the island as a whole needs precisely these kinds of practical steps to break the decades-long stagnation and bring about renewed progress.

If the gas pipeline actually goes into operation in 2028, it would be more than just a technical project for the north. It would be a sign that things are falling into place: a bit more security of supply, a bit more of a future, a bit more normality.

Perhaps change sometimes begins exactly like this: with a first, visible step that shows people that their everyday life can become easier, cleaner and more reliable.

All love

Samira & Marten