Filenews 20 September 2023 - by Chrysanthos Manoli
Following the hiring, as of September 1st, of a Transmission System Operation Manager and an Electricity Market Operation Manager, the Cyprus Transmission System Operator (TSO) is initiating the adequate staffing of the organization, which will facilitate the start of operation of the competitive electricity market, possibly in 2024.
According to the Administrator's budget, the planned positions are 120, but its staff today is around 50 people only. An additional problem is that the existing TSOC officers are seconded from EAC and belong to its structure, which is considered to undermine the independence and objectivity of the Operator and provokes reactions from private electricity producers and suppliers.
On the basis of the legislation, proposals will be made to the seconded EAC employees for their return to the Electricity Authority, as well as proposals from the TSO for their departure from EAC and their inclusion in the Operator's organizational chart.
As we are informed by the Administrator's office, in the near future, the committee will be set up which, according to the legislation, will initiate the procedures for dozens of recruitments, consisting of the Executive Director of the Administrator Stavros Stavrinos, the two newly hired directors and two external members.
The adequate staffing of the Operator and the clarification of the status of the persons seconded from EAC are now among the most important outstanding issues for the start of the competitive electricity market. The other technical problems that had delayed the operation of a competitive electricity market for a number of years have been partially addressed, according to the TSO office, and any outstanding issues that still exist in relation to the operation of software and the cooperation of market participants will be addressed in the near future.
Hatzigiannis is in a hurry
In a parallel development, the chairman of the parliamentary Committee on Energy, Kyriakos Hatzigiannis, sent a letter to the President of the Republic and calls on him "to take responsibility for setting a final date for the start of operation of the competitive electricity market"! It is not known whether Mr. Christodoulides has replied to Mr. Hatzigiannis, but the responsibility for the operation of the competitive electricity market lies with CERA and TSOC, according to harmonizing legislation that was voted and amended from time to time by the committee chaired by Mr. Hatzigiannis.
In his letter to the President of the Republic, Mr. Hatzigiannis states, inter alia, that "I believe that the time is ripe to set a final date for the opening of the free competitive market in early 2024." At another point, he points out that "the existing pending issues cannot be treated as systemic. Therefore, I call on you and the relevant minister to address the situation in order to prevent any possible undermining of the functioning of the free electricity market."
– A meeting of the leadership of TSOC with CERA's top management is expected soon, in order to put all issues under evaluation and decide on the next steps.
