Christofias ‘rushed’ to take electricity from the north

THE EMBATTLED administration of Demetris Christofias yesterday also stood accused of rushing into obtaining electricity from the breakaway regime to cover the severe shortages caused by last Monday’s blast that took out the south’s main power station.

Director of the Cyprus Transmission System Operator (TSO) Christos Christodoulides told the Mail that the link with the north’s grid was established Saturday midnight. As of yesterday, he said, the government-controlled areas were receiving 40 megawatts (MW) from the north. The extra power was distributed throughout the island, Christodoulides said.

The deal with the north’s ‘state’-run power utility KIB-TEK was brokered by Manthos Mavrommatis, chairman of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KEVE).

Mavrommatis is said to be acting in his personal capacity, and was asked to mediate by the Commerce Ministry. The Electricity Authority of Cyprus, end-recipient of the power from the north, is a semi-governmental organisation and as such could not be directly involved in the arrangement.

Under the deal, which is valid until the end of August, the breakaway regime’s power utility will provide the Electricity Authority of Cyprus (EAC) up to 120MW, subject to availability/demand in the north. During peak consumption in the north, KIB-TEK will channel to the south around 60 to 70 MW.

Peak demand in the government-controlled areas in summer is around 1,100MW. Before it was destroyed by a shock wave from the blast at the nearby naval base, the Vasilikos power plant outside Limassol had covered over half of Greek Cypriot energy needs.

The government says the deal is in line with the Green Line Regulation and does not in any way upgrade the status of the breakaway regime.

Speaking to newsmen yesterday after a meeting of the National Council, government spokesman Stefanos Stefanou said the agreement with the north was made under the pressing need for electrical power.

He said that under the circumstances, it was prudent to make the arrangements as swiftly as possible, during the weekend, before the start of the week when electricity demand spikes.

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.