Electricity restored after fault at power station

Electricity was restored nationwide early on Thursday, less than an hour after an unknown fault at the Vasilikos power station caused power cuts in various regions.

The fault was recorded at 9.43am on Thursday in unit number 3 of the Vasilikos power plant and the authority put the “fast start” plants in operation and gradual restoration of electricity started within 20 minutes, EAC’s spokeswoman Christina Papadopoulou told the Cyprus News Agency.

The problem which occurred at the specific unit will be investigated, she added, saying the cause had not yet been identified.

Meanwhile, trade unions belonging to the EAC expressed concerns over safety and production adequacy following the unexpected power cuts.

“Given the concentration of all the energy infrastructure of the state in a single geographical point, the Vasilikos area, it is certain that the level of reliability of security of supply is significantly reduced and the risk of total collapse of the system increases to a dangerous degree,” the trade unions wrote in a letter to the authority’s board of directors.

A recent report by the Cyprus Energy Regulatory Authority (Cera) showed that many issues could be avoided if electricity production was dispersed, the unions said, asking whether the authority was taking any steps in that direction.

“Have you considered the consequences and effects on the economy and the country in general, in the event of any unforeseen incident in the region?” the trade unions asked the board.

They added that lack of power adequacy is expected after 2022, when the authority is obligated to deactivate some of the older units in Dhekelia according to the European Union’s regulations.

Regarding the electricity EuroAsia Interconnector, EAC workers said the time-consuming installation of units operating on conventional fuels by third parties might force the authority to rent temporary power units at a higher price, thus also increasing the consumers’ bills.

Alternatively, the letter added, EAC might have to continue operating the current costly production units in Dhekelia, with the same consequences for consumers.