Nicosia, Cyprus. Electricity Authority (EAC) unions said on Monday that further industrial action is planned after a 24-hour strike last week that closed EAC headquarters and customer service offices without disrupting supply.
Strike and union demands
Union leader Kyriacos Tafounas told media that issues raised a month earlier remain unresolved, focusing on the adequacy of electricity supply and the cost of electricity. He said steps are needed to ensure sufficiency and reduce costs, warning that otherwise electricity prices will continue to rise.
Concerns over energy market changes
Tafounas said one union complaint relates to a recently passed law allowing the Cyprus Telecommunications Authority, another semi-governmental organisation, to operate in the energy market.
Renewables and access to land
Tafounas said Cyprus relies on conventional fuel that produces emissions and argued that the EAC should hold a significant share in renewables. He said this could be achieved through EAC-owned solar parks or by allowing the EAC to buy power from private businesses.
He said the state in 2023 gave the EAC approval to operate solar parks, but that private land is no longer available because it has been used by private companies operating their own solar parks. Tafounas said the state should grant state land to the EAC for solar parks to generate cheaper energy.
What steps should be taken next to address the unions’ concerns over electricity sufficiency and costs?