Demand for electricity is currently at lower levels due to the holiday period, the electricity authority said on Monday, assuring there is sufficient supply.

Deputy spokeswoman for the transmission system operator, Chara Kousiappa, told the Cyprus News Agency said the expected consumption for the day was expected to reach around 980 megawatts despite the heat, because it is holiday season and many people are away from cities and work.

Non-working days such as weekends and periods where people escape the cities are always met with lower electricity demand, Kousiappa explained.

Comparatively, on July 24, the record number of 1243 megawatts was recorded. Even though high temperatures were expected amid weather warnings, many people were expected to go to the beach – if not abroad – for holidays.

On Sunday, maximum demand was at 4pm with 901 megawatts and on Friday, peak demand was 998 megawatts at 2.45pm even though it was a working day.

“We have enough supply in the system and do not expect to have any problems unless there are any technical issues.”

Where renewable energy is concerned, Kousiappa said that contributions on Monday around 2.30pm were expected to be 350 megawatts.

The maximum contribution from renewable energy sources for the day is 360 megawatts, and they are primarily obtained from solar panels.

Peak demand is usually between 2-4pm, she added.