Filenews 5 August 2025
With today's announcement, the trade unions operating in the Electricity Authority speak of "unacceptable failure of EAC for the marginal adequacy of electricity", of "unilateral division of responsibilities in EAC by the Minister of Energy", of enormous responsibilities of the ministry for its failure to ensure that with EU approval the consumers of all suppliers will pay the cost for the infrastructure projects required for adequacy and safety in the electricity supply, but also for the enormous responsibilities of some in the EAC that "from their office force it to think and reflect on the creation of necessary infrastructure projects", because these will not have the desired economic return.
The guilds also warn the following:
"The whole situation is no longer acceptable to the workers and we
will not remain apathetic to all these things, which do not ensure the well-understood interest of the Organization, damage its image, make the working environment difficult and do not ensure the adequacy of electricity and the security of supply in the country. Nor is the current
cost of electricity and the cuts in household photovoltaics acceptable."
The full text of the announcement of the EAC trade unions:
"On the occasion of the statements of the Minister of Energy, who, as he said, gave his consent to EAC for the installation of a unit in Dhekelia and 'we should not expect that he will come to put the screw on himself', as well as the unacceptable decision of EAC about the marginal adequacy for
which we watch every night in the news bulletins the TSOC warning the
consumers for possible short-term power outages, we requested and had a meeting with the Board of Directors and the EAC Management.
The one-sided attribution of responsibility to EAC by the Minister, for the serious and unacceptable delay observed in the implementation of the project for the upgrade of the Dhekelia HPV and his mocking approach to the "screw" demonstrates that both the Ministry and the State, as well as EAC have not understood the seriousness and tragic nature of the situation, which does not allow such jokes, as long as they concern the adequacy and security of supply in the country.
The Ministry of Energy bears a huge responsibility for the non-performance of the project at the Dhekelia Power Station, as it "failed?" to support what is proper and right for the country in the European area. There, the positions (of those who had no substantial reason on the issue) of those who make, as the State admitted, superprofits prevailed and demand that their customers be excluded from the cost of upgrading the station and that it be borne only by the consumers of the Electricity Authority.
By the way, it is completely unfair, since they themselves can only supply their customers with electricity for certain hours, and in fact, when the weather conditions allow it, and most of the time they supply them with electricity produced by the Electricity Authority. An injustice that they seek, since with the preservation of the obsolete Dhekelia Station, their super profits increase.
As far as the Electricity Authority is concerned, a huge responsibility lies with those who, from their office, force it to think and reflect on the creation of necessary infrastructure projects, projects that may not have the return that the business world wants an investment of its own. The Electricity Authority should be freed from the short circuit created by the occasional announcements for:
(a) the advent of Natural Gas (in how many terms?),
(b) electricity interconnection (a project that both the European Investment Bank and the Minister of Finance consider unsustainable).
A short circuit that affected serious infrastructure projects, both in Production and Transport. The service of the expected arrival of the electric cable forced EAC to make huge inactive investments. In essence, they lead it to the logic of the only point of electricity production, the area of Vassiliko, i.e. "to place her eggs in one basket".
A practice that the State condemned (Parliament, Auditor General, CERA, TSO) by pointing out that this vital good should not be produced from a single point. It seems that the disaster in Mari has taught us nothing.
As far as the Dhekelia Reservoir is concerned, it has been judged by all the Competent Bodies that its existence is necessary for the adequacy, security of supply and dispersion of production. Therefore, its upgrade is a work that must be done. It is simply that the delay in its upgrade will
create needs for adequacy and will force it to rent temporary
units at a huge cost for the consumer, a cost that does not concern permanent infrastructure. Infrastructures that must be built, for which the consumer will be asked to pay again.
We would like to point out that the Electricity Authority has as its mission the uninterrupted supply and uninterrupted production of electricity at the lowest cost. So let those who force the Electricity Authority to calculate damages from infrastructure projects, which must be carried out in the country, consider their responsibilities.
As we mentioned, we had a meeting with the Board of Directors and the EAC Management on July 22, 2025 and we took a position on all these serious and burning issues, which affect the Electricity Sector.
We expect the Board of Directors and the Management to rise to the level of their mission and to meet their obligations, arising from the high office they hold, and to take immediate action to implement decisions taken to solve the problems of the Electricity Sector, which are related to the role and mission of the Organization.
As employees, we had given time credit for resolving the issues, adopting the exhortation of the Minister of Energy on 3/12/2024 where, during the presentation of the EAC Sustainable Development Report, he stated that the works would be done and any mobilizations of the workers would be unnecessary.
As every bona fide person now understands, the whole situation is no longer acceptable to the workers and we will not remain apathetic to all those things that do not ensure the well-understood interest of the Organization, damage its image, make the working environment difficult and do not ensure the adequacy of electricity and the security of supply in the country. Nor is the current cost of electricity and the cuts in household photovoltaics acceptable."
