The Republic of Cyprus’s electricity supply faces severe strain during evening hours as power plant failures and ongoing maintenance work continue to plague the national grid, forcing reliance on emergency supplies from the occupied north and renewable sources.
The electricity system reached critical levels yesterday at 7:30 pm when conventional power generation dropped to 925 megawatts against consumption of 952 megawatts, according to official data.
With no reserve units available for emergency deployment, authorities prevented household disconnections by drawing approximately 25 megawatts from the north’s grid and 30 megawatts from renewable sources, primarily wind farms and biomass.
The Cyprus Transmission System Operator reported maximum available generation from the Electricity Authority of Cyprus (EAC) units at 1,023 megawatts yesterday evening. However, an additional malfunction at the Dhekelia power station reduced system capacity by 60 megawatts, creating a precarious situation.
The challenges persist today, with the System Operator’s website indicating maximum available conventional generation until midnight will reach only 979 megawatts. With evening consumption typically ranging between 940-960 megawatts, the grid may need to draw power again from the Turkish Cypriot network, hoping for additional wind farm generation during evening hours.
The interconnection with the grid in the north, which has previously supplied emergency power to the electricity authority in the occupied areas, remains operational.
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