The EAC responds to the SEPIE statement titled “No country should be at risk of losing electricity due to a labor dispute.”

SEE ALSO: No country should be at risk of losing power due to a labor dispute

The EAC’s statement-response in its entirety:

The Cyprus Electricity Authority expresses its concern regarding statements that have been made public and bear no relation to reality. Consequently, it wishes to make the necessary clarifications to set the record straight and ensure the public is properly informed. The recent announcement by the Association of Electricity Suppliers’ Representatives (SEPIE) falls within this context.

The EAC remains engaged in energy developments affecting the country and approaches the transition to the new energy market with the seriousness befitting its institutional role.

The claim of a “labor dispute” is baseless

SEPIE’s claim that a labor dispute jeopardized the country’s electricity supply is based on a fundamentally flawed assumption. The issues that have concerned and continue to concern, including the AHK, pertain exclusively to critical matters of strategic planning and energy security and in no way to labor disputes between employers and employees. Furthermore, we must emphasize that the country’s electricity supply has never been jeopardized due to labor issues.  Furthermore, it is the EAC’s long-standing position that it does not condone strike actions or measures that inconvenience or negatively impact consumers.

Long-Term Resilience to Crises

Regarding SEPHIE’s argument that a modern system must be able to respond to challenges, history speaks for itself. For 74 years, the EAC has ensured in practice the fundamental right of citizens to have uninterrupted access to a vital service such as electricity. Even under the most dramatic and extreme conditions—the most striking example being the near-total destruction of the Vasilikos Power Plant in July 2011— the EAC and its staff responded immediately, keeping the country alive both energetically and economically. The Authority responded with the same seriousness, methodical approach, professionalism, and promptness, both during the major fire in Arakapa in 2021—which spread to the Larnaca Mountains—and during the major fire that struck the Limassol Mountains in July 2025. Energy security is ensured precisely because it is based on the robustness of this Agency.

Energy Security

Regarding SEPIE’s statement that energy security cannot depend on a single organization, we would like to point out that today, there are nearly 100,000 Renewable Energy Systems (RES), corresponding to an equal number of commercial and residential energy producers with a total installed capacity of 1,100 MW. This figure demonstrates the broad distribution of generation, especially when compared to the approximately 1,480 MW of total capacity derived from conventional generation by the EAC’s units at the power plants.

Practical investments versus theoretical considerations

SEPIE highlights the need to consider whether the current design of the power system offers the resilience required by the country’s modern needs. The AHK welcomes any legitimate concerns; however, resilience is not a matter for theoretical discussion but a field requiring immediate action.

The EAC is already moving forward, using its own funds, with massive investments to upgrade its generation infrastructure and modernize its grids, planning for the future.

We fully agree with SEPIE that greater investment and greater diversification in electricity generation are prerequisites for a reliable system. For this very reason, the smooth operation of the energy market requires all participants to make substantial investments and assume their fair share of responsibility.

The EAC has been, is, and will remain the solid energy pillar of Cypriot society and the economy. Its unwavering commitment is to serve the public, always placing the public interest above any individual interest.