Nicosia, Cyprus. Cyprus could face rolling power cuts from Thursday as industrial action by Electricity Authority of Cyprus workers is expected to reduce available power, the Transmission System Operator Cyprus said on Tuesday. The operator warned that electricity supply may need to be interrupted on a rotating basis for consumers for as long as the measures remain in force.
Supply disruption warning
The Transmission System Operator Cyprus said the Competitive Electricity Market will be suspended throughout the duration of the measures because of the exceptional circumstances.
Trade unions intend to limit the number of available generating units and will not carry out the start-up or shutdown of generation units. The operator warned that if a generating unit breaks down, there is no guarantee it can be replaced by another unit.
Expected shortage periods
The operator said it may be forced, in cooperation with the Distribution System Operator, to implement controlled load shedding during periods when available generation is insufficient to meet demand.
Based on current forecasts, electricity shortages are expected between 5.30pm and 1am, with the highest demand between 7.30pm and 9.30pm. During those peak hours, up to 25 per cent of total electricity demand may have to be disconnected through rolling outages.
Outage scheduling and renewables
The schedule of planned power cuts by area will be published on the Transmission System Operator Cyprus website the day before they are due to take place.
The extent of the outages will depend on real-time electricity demand, weather conditions and the availability of generating units. Curtailments of electricity generated from renewable energy sources are expected to increase during the industrial action.
