Former minister defends government and EAC over blackouts

Economy EACelectricityenergyheatwaveTop Newsvasiliko Former minister defends government and EAC over blackouts Former Minister Defends Government And Eac Over Blackouts Relevant News Klopp to become Germany national team coach, DFB says 24 July 2026 Former minister defends government and EAC over blackouts 24 July 2026 Cyprus edges closer to first natural gas exports by 2028 24 July 2026 Charalambos Zakos 24 July 2026 FacebookXWhatsAppEmailPrintViber Former Energy Minister Giorgos Papanastasiou, who was replaced in the government’s last reshuffle, took the floor at a review of the Electricity Authority of Cyprus’s work yesterday to defend the current government, the current Energy Minister and EAC itself over the adequacy of the island’s electricity supply. The intervention came at the presentation of a 30-month review of the work of the EAC Board of Directors, in the aftermath of power cuts two days earlier that lasted around 20 minutes in various parts of the island and were used to avoid a full blackout. The current Energy Minister was also present at the event. During the questions that followed the presentation, the atmosphere grew tense. Cyprus’s existing infrastructure cannot guarantee citizens that electricity supply is adequate, with officials having previously acknowledged that the state failed over time to carry out the planning needed to keep pace with new technologies and developments in the electricity sector. Papanastasiou said responsibility for supply adequacy lay neither with the current government, nor the current Energy Minister, nor EAC, and argued that the present government was the one working to resolve the problems. He said that if asked to name a single responsible party, he would not be able to, since many different services were involved in the overall system. This did not mean, he said, that past planning had been flawed, but rather that the services involved may not have been moving in the same direction. As an example, he cited the expansion of renewable energy sources, which he said was not accompanied by energy storage systems. He added that these are new technologies, and that the gaps that emerged were not necessarily due to vested interests or other factors, but reflected the absence of a central plan for the future shared by all involved. How adequacy is being strengthened On electricity production, EAC Board Chairman Giorgos Petrou said maintenance works were carried out at power stations during 2025. A new power generation unit was awarded for installation at Dhekelia, alongside other infrastructure works and modifications at the Vasilikos station. The new Combined Cycle Unit No. 6 has been completed and is ready to operate once natural gas arrives in Cyprus. EAC General Manager Adonis Yiasemides said EAC Generation is promoting the installation of additional photovoltaic systems and energy storage units, based on the findings of a study for the Development Programme. The main goal, he explained, is to diversify and enrich the electricity generation mix with cheaper green energy, in order to limit the cost of electricity and pass the benefit directly on to consumers and businesses. To secure supply adequacy, system stability and to reinforce the Dhekelia power station as a second point of uninterrupted generation, the Generation Directorate is installing a storage system with a capacity of 80MW and 160MWh. The installation of three gas turbines with a combined nominal capacity of 81MW is also being promoted. On networks, Yiasemides said a strategic decision by the EAC Board was to develop a fibre-optic telecommunications network to support operational communications and the electricity distribution system. The total cost of the project is estimated at around €46 million by 2032, with two tenders for the project launched within 2026 to begin its phased completion. Funding of €17 million is expected from the Just Transition Fund. On electricity transmission, Yiasemides said six major projects have already been completed, with a further six under way. In total, tenders worth €145 million were awarded between 2024 and 2026. Under the Cohesion Policy Programme “THALIA 2021-2027,” funding of €37 million was secured, of which €8.7 million has already been drawn for transmission projects and €7.7 million for distribution projects. On replacing existing equipment with new, automated systems, 300 distribution substations have been upgraded to date, 117 of them completed in 2025. Vasilikos carries the weight The figures presented at the review point to the continued necessity of the Dhekelia station, since even though the bulk of the load is carried by Vasilikos, the system would face bigger problems without Dhekelia and without accounting for energy dispersal. Specifically, the Vasilikos power station produced around 66 percent of Cyprus’s electricity in 2025, Dhekelia around 32 percent, and the Moni station close to 1 percent. Read more: Why Cyprus is facing an electricity shortage crisis again Subscribe to our Newsletter Latest News Klopp to become Germany national team coach, DFB says Cyprus edges closer to first natural gas exports by 2028 Overnight pharmacies on Friday, July 24 Trade unions demand inspections over ‘rented’ hotel workers Why Cyprus is facing an electricity shortage crisis again Israeli media report clashes before AEK–Beitar Jerusalem match (video) Drousiotis and “Sandy” to face charges over corruption allegations Follow en.philenews on Google News and be the first to know all the news about Cyprus and the world.