TSO supplies electricity to Turkish Cypriot community after weekend faults

Nicosia, Cyprus. The transmission system operator (TSO) began supplying electricity to the Turkish Cypriot community on Monday evening after faults over the weekend continued to affect the north’s energy supply. Between 20 and 50 megawatts will be provided from 3.30pm until midnight, depending on demand and available capacity.

Electricity supply agreement

Assistant operations director Harry Zavallis confirmed that the supply was being provided under an existing confidence-building measure.

He said electricity would be supplied to the Turkish Cypriot community if capacity was available and there were no problems, as the Turkish Cypriot side had previously supplied electricity under the same measure.

Turkish Cypriot electricity workers’ trade union El-Sen leader Ahmet Tugcu said that 40 megawatts were being supplied by the TSO as of 4.30pm on Monday.

Insulator concerns

Tugcu said on Saturday that the north was still using glass insulators, while silicone insulators had become standard elsewhere.

He said glass insulators were expensive, labour-intensive to replace and made of heavy material. Silicone insulators, he said, are easier to clean, less expensive and quicker to replace.

Insulators prevent electric current from flowing to unwanted areas and keep power moving safely through wires. Faulty insulators can cause power cuts by creating short circuits or ground faults that trigger protective relays and circuit breakers.

Tugcu said the malfunction was linked to seasonal maintenance of the power grid.

Solar farm communication issue

Last week, solar farms were removed from the automatic supply system after a lack of communication with the electricity distribution coordination centre resulted in incorrect readings being transmitted.