IT WILL take two-and-a-half years to fully restore the Vassilikos Power Plant but there should be no more power cuts as of September, the Director of the Cyprus Energy Regulatory Authority (CERA) told journalists yesterday.
CERA’s head, Giorgos Shammas, was speaking at a news conference held at the wrecked Vassilikos Power Station to provide information on the current state of affairs following the July 11 naval base blast.
The explosion knocked out the station and along with it, over half of the island’s electricity production. “Four weeks after the devastating blast, the EAC has managed to restore some functionality,” Shammas said.
He was referring to the generators from Greece currently producing 28 Megawatts.
The generators have a total capacity of 70MW and all of them should be up and running by next week, Shammas said.
By the end of the month the EAC should get an additional 140MW: 35MW from fixing a Vassilikos gas turbine, 10MW offered by the Bank of Cyprus and 95MW by Energy International.
That’s the “next landmark,” Shammas said.
He added that if there were no further surprises, the additional power alongside a fall in energy demand should translate to a reduction or complete cessation of power cuts.
The units at Moni and Dhekelia are however aged and failing and the EAC’s technicians have been working around the clock to keep them working and repair them when they break down.
The public also have a role to play, Shammas said, and should continue saving energy.
By the end of August it should also be clear how much of the electricity bill the public will have to foot.
“It is inevitable that the consumer will be paying part of the expenses,” Shammas said.
However, how much they do depends on what the state’s contribution, whether the EAC receives help from the European Union and on the EAC’s cost saving tactics, Shammas said.
The EAC’s electricity bills are revised on a six-month basis and they will be submitting a report to CERA on Friday.
Our priorities “are to limit consequences to the consumer, ensure the EAC’s viability… and maintain energy saving,” said Shammas. The next landmark for the EAC will be the summer of 2012.
If the EAC manages to repair Vassilikos’ Units 4 and 5, it will get a combined 450MW at a more efficient rate.
The remaining three units are more damaged and according to current estimates it would take two-and-half years to restore them.
Parallel to the EAC’s efforts to coerce machinery and generators into producing power, its technicians have fixed the fire safety system (set on manual).
Shammas also highlighted Cyprus’ need to get natural gas and encourage renewable energy sources.
“The energy crisis will be with us for a long time, not months but years,” Shammas adding that both technically and financially, “patience, clarity and decisiveness” was necessary.
