Nicosia, Cyprus. Cyprus lacks a coherent long-term energy strategy despite increasing pressures from costs, climate targets and geopolitics, according to energy expert and former Cyprus Energy Regulatory Authority chief Andreas Poullikkas. In a recently published analysis, he said energy policy in Cyprus remains shaped by competing demands without an integrated long-term framework.
Complexity at the centre of energy policy
Poullikkas said energy is one of the most complex issues of the current period, extending beyond production and consumption. He said it is linked to security of supply, household costs, infrastructure investment, climate commitments and geopolitical stability, creating multiple and often competing policy pressures.
He said different stakeholders focus on different priorities, including monthly electricity bills, new generation units, emissions and strategic autonomy. According to Poullikkas, this complexity is not secondary but lies at the core of energy policy design.
Cyprus-specific challenges
He said the complexity is greater in Cyprus because its electricity system is an island grid without interconnections for the time being and remains heavily dependent on imported fuels. He added that the country is also facing decarbonisation obligations while discussing possible hydrocarbon development in the Eastern Mediterranean.
Call for binding long-term decisions
Poullikkas said Cyprus has not yet developed a truly integrated and long-term energy strategy that answers a fundamental question. He said the central issue is who will make binding decisions for the coming decades and on what basis.
Using a triangle analogy, he described energy as being at the centre of competing forces involving households, the economy and global power dynamics. He said each corner pulls policy in a different direction and that imbalances produce systems that serve narrow interests rather than citizens.
