Hoping that no damage occurs, we’ll get through this summer as well with our electricity generation system, since supply is barely sufficient. If something goes wrong, we’ll experience the same situation as last summer, with brief, area-specific power outages.

“The difference between midday and the evening peak is significant—at midday, demand is now covered by renewable energy sources—and this is now a decisive factor. We have a renewable energy penetration rate of approximately 65% at midday, with the remaining 35% covered by conventional generation.”
Haris Zavallis – Assistant Director of the Transmission System Operator

Therefore, the hours during which a blackout could occur are between 6 p.m. and 10 p.m.

The Solution

The only solution, which is currently on track for implementation and is expected to take the country off the autopilot it has been on for all these years, is the operation of storage units.

“The Operator has already signed contracts for its own storage units, which will arrive in Cyprus in January 2027. I believe that by the end of 2027 we will have several hundred megawatts of storage in the system, which will allow for greater integration of renewable energy, including solar energy, into our energy mix, which will also help ensure energy security.”
Michalis Damianos – Minister of Energy

At the same time, as the country works to reduce its dependence on fossil fuels, the ministry is reviewing a request to activate an emergency procedure to secure additional contracted generation—specifically, oil-fired generators—under Article 34.

“This is something we are reviewing following a letter from the Cyprus Energy Regulatory Authority (RAEK); we will see how best to proceed.”
Michalis Damianos

The minister clarified that such a measure cannot be implemented immediately.

Open Discussion

The Cyprus Chamber of Commerce and Industry (OEB) brought the issue of electricity costs in the country to the table, bringing together the key institutional and business stakeholders in the energy sector.

“Our main goal remains to identify practices that will reduce energy costs for businesses and, by extension, for society, (and) to devise practical, immediate, and substantive solutions to support the Ministry’s efforts in this direction,”
said George Pantelidis, President of the OEB.

Another topic of discussion was the smooth operation of the Competitive Electricity Market.

Watch the report by Kleio Vourkou: