THE Electricity Authority has called in its lawyers after reports that ice cream suppliers may be on the brink of filing for compensation after the power cuts that hit Nicosia two weeks ago today.
Electricity failed across the capital on July 7 and 8 after an explosion at a transformer station. It was blamed on excessive air conditioner use in blistering temperatures.
At the time, the EAC came under fire for failing to warn consumers of power cuts and for restoring electricity to areas by cutting off the supply to others.
The Cyprus Ice Cream Association is meeting to determine a possible course of action against the EAC, after assessing the extent of damage incurred and the amount of compensation it believes should be paid.
"It’s too early to fix an amount, or decide whether to pursue action or not," Chris Protopapas of Regis Milk Industries Ltd told the Cyprus Mail yesterday.
Manufacturers battled to stop the meltdown of thousands of kilos of ice cream in a weekend that saw midday temperatures rise to 45.
EAC public relations manager Tassos Roussos has confirmed that the authority has received a number of letters of complaint, and that he expects more to arrive in the coming weeks. However "very few letters have requested compensation so far", he said.
One ice cream manufacturer does not think that ice cream suppliers will end up going to court to secure compensation.
Heraclis, producers of 1,000 kilos of ice cream a day, retained its frozen assets when others lost theirs: it transferred supplies to a giant refrigerator for the duration of the power failure and they came to no harm. And now — just in case there’s a next time — the company has spent £6,000 on a generator. It will not be seeking compensation, but says it intends to support any rivals who do.
"Of course we will support them, because it could happen to us – either in the factory or at the kiosks," Heraclis Vrontis told the Cyprus Mail.
Pahit-Ice Ltd already had a generator pre-installed, but that did nothing to help its many clients hit by an electricity outage in midday heat of 42 Celcius and above.
One client, the Glace Café on Ledra Street, was livid at losing £250 to £300 worth of ice cream. The café said it was relying on Pahit to pursue compensation rights for them. But Pahit, which spent £1,500 restocking the ruined supplies of customers, has no intention of helping.
"If I have damage in my factory I do not expect my customers to pay," said Christos Pahitas. "Still, they must do something. Somebody should raise a voice, and when they do I believe others will follow. You sign a contract with the EAC that they will supply you and they have to keep to that," Pahitas added.
