Romania, Hungary, Georgia, and Azerbaijan launched a joint venture on September 3 to install a power line under the Black Sea aimed at bringing more renewable energy into the European Union from the eastern Caucasus. The project, approved by leaders of the four countries in 2022, gained momentum after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine and spotlighted the EU's reliance on Russian energy as prices sharply rose. The 27-nation bloc has since pushed to wean itself off Russian energy. The cable would link Azerbaijan, which is seen as having substantial potential to generate power at Caspian Sea wind farms, to EU members Romania and Hungary via Georgia.