Filenews 14 August 2025 - by Erotokritos Katelaris
On Tuesday 12 August, after several days with temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius and with the country's electricity needs being met with obstacles and with huge efforts to keep the stressed generators in operation at EAC stations, the Cyprus Transmission System Operator (TSO) issued a statement to inform that the coverage of electricity demand was marginal and there was a possibility of rotational interruptions in the electricity supply.
I believe that the competent authorities should have issued the following statement. The text was written before consumers were finally disconnected from the grid due to reduced production:
Dear fellow citizens,
Since EAC ceased to have responsibility for Electricity Adequacy, the situation is getting worse every year.
For years now, we have been sharing the role of Adequacy with CERA: it decides how many units the electricity system needs, with what fuel and in which area. We, as administrators, try with these units to operate the system safely for the consumer and the equipment itself.
Unfortunately, the reality is this:
We do not have Adequacy. We have a shortage.
Production must be equal to demand every fraction of a second. Our indicator: the frequency at 50 Hz. Sometimes we even operate with the system "stuck", i.e. with a lower frequency, while the units work beyond their limits, with all that this entails.
The Moni's expensive (for the consumer) fast-acting units are intended for emergencies, but they operate daily, increasing costs for you and profits for others.
The blackstart unit in Vassilikos, which can restart Cyprus (autonomously) after a blackout, should be guarded like the pupil of an eye. Instead, it works to meet demand, increasing the risk of not starting when we really need it.
The measurement of adequacy, with indicators, shows discouraging results. Unfortunately, the above facts testify to this by themselves.
Today, demand is marginally covered. Small breakdown or small increase in demand = cutouts.
Dear fellow citizens, we have failed.
Unit failures will always exist, especially when they are over forty years old.
We were not convinced of the need for new units in Dhekelia.
We have adopted policies that concentrate production in Vassilikos.
We pretended that we do not see that natural gas and interconnection do not come in 2025. We still hope for next year or year after that.
We did not understand that even with interconnection, we have to be self-sufficient.
We have given permits for the construction of new units, which work only with natural gas.
We are afraid (forgive us, it is by our nature) to deal with technocratic documentation the representatives of private interests who do not want the development of Dhekelia. We were late in giving the green light to the EAC for energy storage units.
We threw all our strength into "opening the market" and... We did the "ssioni". We have created superprofits for a few and we have left the place in danger of dying out.
We apologize profusely.
SAVE MONEY BY FORGETTING THAT YOU HAVE MODULES FROM YOUR PHOTOVOLTAIC.
Raise the temperature of the air conditioner to 27 degrees.
They promise that from tomorrow, we will get to work, make the right decisions and close our ears to the sirens of "cooperation".
* Graduate of ATI
