Filenews 30 September 2025
The procedure followed by the Electricity Authority of Cyprus (EAC) for the supply of new generators at the Dhekelia power station, as part of its strategy to strengthen energy security, was under the microscope of the Parliamentary Audit and Energy Committees on Monday.
During the session, which took place behind closed doors, MPs expressed concerns - according to statements - about the sharp increase in costs, compared to the initial financial data of the project, since as it was said the process started with a budget of around €35 to 40 million, however, today the amount has been "multiplied", without documented explanations.
Specifically, in his statements after the session, the President of the Energy Committee of the Parliament, Kyriakos Hatzigiannis, expressed strong concern about the procedures followed by the EAC regarding the purchase of backup generators.
As Mr. Hatzigiannis stated, the session was held with the aim of informing the institutions involved about the way in which the EAC managed the process of procuring new electricity turbines, expressing concern about the significant increase in the cost of the investment and noting that the initial amounts, which ranged around €35-40 million, have today been "multiplied" without clear explanations having been given.
"To start with an alpha amount and end up with ten or twenty times the initial amount, these are unacceptable," he said, underlining the need for strict control by the Auditor General and the competent supervisory authorities.
Referring to the tender process, the President of the Energy Committee said that out of the five initially eligible suppliers, only two finally submitted bids, without a final decision being made yet.
The process, as he said, has evolved into a "negotiation of negotiations", which has been pending for more than a year.
At the same time, he criticized the state's energy planning, saying that instead of investing in clean forms of energy, it is proceeding with the purchase of generators based on fuels such as fuel oil and diesel.
He also made a special reference to natural gas, expressing doubts about whether and when it will reach Dhekelia, noting that "until 2030 we are not going to have natural gas".
"This state, instead of investing in turning away from the production of pollutants, we are investing in how to produce, how to buy machines to produce pollutants. Either from diesel and he says natural gas will go. But when will natural gas go to Dhekelia? Where we planned for natural gas to go and until 2030 we are not going to have natural gas. And we are now coming to buy special engines with the provision of natural gas, which those who have the things and at the end of the life cycle of these machines, which if we buy them today, these machines will not be alive?", he wondered.
Mr. Hatzigiannis called on the institutions to intervene, in order to ensure transparency and legality in the process, but also to avoid phenomena of mismanagement that – as he said – "we have suffered, but unfortunately we have not learned".
"We want the Auditors, the supervisory authorities, those who manage the bids and proposals on behalf of the Ministry of Finance, to properly guide the EAC itself in making the right decisions based on the legislation of this country," he concluded.
For his part, DIPA MP, Alekos Tryfonidis, stressed the importance of the project for the country's energy security. As he mentioned, the Parliament agrees with the strategic goal of the EAC to create additional production points outside Vasilikos, with the aim of unhindering the needs of Cypriot society and industry, but also for safety reasons.
Mr. Tryfonidis noted that the discussion in the Audit Committee took place at a closed level, in order to preserve the sensitive process and to support the EAC's effort to implement its program.
He also referred to the current stage of the process, saying that "two bidders have remained and the points on which, through direct negotiation, they will converge, in order to fully meet the specifications set by the EAC, are being examined".
He stressed the need for the competent institutions, such as the EAC, its Board of Directors, the Auditor General and the General Accounting Office, to fully safeguard the process and ensure that no essential specification is circumvented.
CNA
