Power supply steady but unforeseen glitches still occur

A NEW deal will be struck before the end of August to ensure power supply from the north continues, according to Manthos Mavrommatis, President of the Cyprus Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KEVE).

Mavrommatis said that the duration of the new contract has not yet been agreed, and would be subject to supply needs. “The contract might be extended for up to six months, if there is such a need,” he added. Mavrommatis clarified that the contract’s duration would be decided after consultation with all relevant authorities.

On August 11 the EAC delivered a cheque of €4.5 million to Mavrommatis who in turn handed it over to the Turkish Cypriot electricity provider for the power provided up to now.

Despite a couple of weeks of uninterrupted electricity supply, a malfunction at Moni power station yesterday raised fears of a new wave of potential power cuts. According to the director of the Transmission System Operator (TSO) Christos Christodoulides, production at the aged power station was down 30MW yesterday.

“The problem came up at midnight last night, and we are now at the edge of our supply limits today,” Christodoulides said to state radio yesterday.

He said that demand rose to 850MW on Thursday, while production remained at 840MW, urging all consumers to save electricity in every way possible in order to avoid cuts.

This was also the advice of the EAC, which announced yesterday that despite the process of installation of temporary generators at Moni and Dhekelia, the public must intensify its efforts to reduce power consumption, as the first two weeks of September will see an increase in electricity demand.

The EAC also said that the installation of the 60 MW capacity generators at the Dhekelia power station was underway, and that the 35MW capacity generators destined for Moni arrived at Limassol harbour yesterday afternoon. The temporary generators were leased from the American company Energy International. The transfer of diesel oil from the Vassilikos power station also started yesterday, which will be used by the temporary generators in Dhekelia.

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