The EMC (East Med Corridor) fiber optic cable system under implementation, in which PPC participates, was one of the main topics of discussion between the Minister of Environment and Energy, Stavros Papastavros, and government officials of Saudi Arabia.
During his visit to Riyadh, the Greek minister met, among others, with the country’s Minister of Investment, Khalid A. Al-Falih.
The talks focused on the prospects for cooperation in energy interconnections and infrastructure, clean technologies and renewable sources, the India–Middle East–Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) and the EMC.
The EMC cable system acts as a precursor to broader interconnections that aspire to unite Asia with Europe through Saudi Arabia, a country that seeks to emerge as a hub of three continents. At the same time, Greece claims the role of an alternative gateway for both telecommunications and energy networks, strengthening its geostrategic position on the map of international interconnections.
This is also the first project implemented within the framework of the IMEC Economic Corridor, one of the most ambitious modern connectivity initiatives. IMEC aims to create a modern transport and trade corridor that will connect India with Europe through the Middle East, utilizing ports, railway networks, highways and digital infrastructure. Greece recognizes IMEC as a strategic opportunity to upgrade its role as a key gateway to the European market.
Τhe company implementing the EMC is comprised of Saudi Telecom (STC – the Saudi telecommunications service provider in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and among the main providers in the Middle East) with 72%, PPC with 25% and Telecommunication Telephony Satellite Applications – TTSA (a telecommunications company based in Greece with offices in Cyprus and Switzerland) with 3%.
The project, as far as its western section is concerned (Saudi Arabia – Jordan – Israel – Greece (Crete) with one branch ending in Marseille and the second in Genoa, passing through Athens) is in the phase of investigating and mapping the sea route by the special vessel in order to begin laying the cable. Agreements for its landfall points are also being formulated.
The financing model for the western section of the EMC, with a budget of 700 million, has been agreed since May 2024, while the project is estimated to be completed in early 2028.
At the same time, negotiations continue for the eastern section of the EMC, with a budget of 1 billion euros, which will connect Saudi Arabia with India and Singapore, with the prospect of being completed this year so that it can also enter the implementation phase.
For Greece, EMC creates the conditions for new business opportunities in cybersecurity, big data and data centers, and strengthens the country’s position on the international map of telecommunications interconnections, acting as a catalyst for other cable projects that are under planning to definitively include Greece in their routes.
Moreover, PPC, with its participation in the project, expands its international footprint in telecommunications, beyond the fiber optic network that it is developing in the land part of the country, while the project also strengthens the strategic cooperation between Greece and Saudi Arabia, which aspires to develop into a Regional digital hub, with Greece emerging as an eastern data gateway of the European Union.
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