Cyprus, with its existing infrastructure, cannot assure citizens that there is sufficient electricity. This is self-evident and does not need much explanation, since even the day before yesterday there were power outages, lasting about 20 minutes, in various areas of the island, in order to avoid a generalized blackout.
It is no secret, and it has even been said by official lips, that the state over time did not proceed with the necessary planning to respond to the new technologies and the data that were being formed in the electricity sector.
Yesterday, the report of the 30-month work of the Board of Directors of the Electricity Authority of Cyprus was presented, in the wake of the power outages the day before yesterday. During the questions, the atmosphere was at one point particularly electric. What made an impression, however, was the person from whom the answers were given about the adequacy of electricity.
The event was attended by the former Minister of Energy, Giorgos Papanastasiou, who took the floor and the podium, in order to answer whether the EAC is responsible for the adequacy of electricity. It was surprising that a former minister, who was replaced during the last reshuffle, not only did not remain silent, but undertook to defend both the EAC and the government as well as the current Minister of Energy, who was also present at the event. Mr. Papanastasiou said that the responsibility lies neither with the current government, nor with the current Minister of Energy, nor with the EAC. Defending the efforts being made, he argued, more or less, that the current government is the one that is trying to solve the problems.
As he said, if someone asked him to nominate a person in charge, he would not be able to do so, as many different services are involved in the whole system. According to him, this does not mean that there was wrong planning in the past, but that the services involved may not have been moving in the same direction. Characteristically, he said that one of the mistakes was that the development of Renewable Energy Sources was not accompanied, for example, by energy storage systems. He noted, however, that these are new technologies and that the gaps that appeared were not necessarily due to interests or other factors, but to the fact that it seems that there was no central plan for everyone for the future.
How competence is strengthened
Now, regarding electricity production, the Chairman of the EAC Board of Directors, George Petrou, during the report, referred to the Authority's moves for security of supply and adequacy. According to Mr. Petrou, during 2025, maintenance works in the power plants proceeded.
At the same time, the installation of a new power plant in Dhekelia was awarded, while other infrastructure and modifications were made to the Vasilikos station. Specifically, the new Combined Cycle Unit no. 6 has been completed and is now ready to operate when natural gas arrives in Cyprus. For his part, the General Manager of EAC, Adonis Yiasemidis, stated during his own report that EAC Production is promoting the installation of additional photovoltaic systems and energy storage units, based on the results of the study for the Development Program.
The main goal, as he explained, is to diversify and enrich the electricity production mix with cheaper green energy, in order to limit the cost of electricity and to transfer the benefit directly to consumers and businesses.
In addition, in order to ensure the adequacy of supply, the stability of the system and the strengthening of the Dhekelia Power Plant as a second point of uninterrupted power generation, the Production Directorate is proceeding with the installation of a storage system with a capacity of 80 MW and a capacity of 160 MWh. At the same time, the installation of three gas turbines with a total nominal capacity of 81 MW is being promoted.
In the field of Networks, a strategic decision of the EAC Board of Directors, as Mr. Yiasemides said, is the development of a fiber optic telecommunications network, which will serve operational communications and support the electricity distribution system. The total cost of the project is estimated at approximately €46 million by 2032. In fact, within 2026, two tenders were announced for this project, with the aim of starting and gradually completing its implementation.
The planned funding from the Just Transition Fund amounts to €17 million. Regarding the transmission of electricity, according to the Director General of the EAC, six important projects have already been completed, while another six are in progress.
In total, during the period 2024-2026, tenders with a total value of €145 million were awarded. At the same time, under the Cohesion Policy Program "THALIA 2021-2027", funds amounting to €37 million were secured. Of these, €8.7 million has already been raised for transport projects and €7.7 million for distribution projects. In relation to the replacement of existing equipment with new and automated systems, 300 distribution substations have been upgraded to date, of which 117 were completed in 2025.
The burden on Vasilikos
In fact, the numbers presented in the report indicate the necessity of Dhekelia and its continued operation, since even if the great burden is borne by the Vasilikos station, however, without Dhekelia and without taking into account the issue of energy dispersion, we would have bigger problems. Specifically, the Vasilikos power station in 2025 produced about 66% of the energy, Dhekelia about 32% and Moni close to 1%.
