Cyprus could face rolling power cuts from Thursday as strikes by Electricity Authority of Cyprus workers are expected to reduce available power, the Transmission System Operator Cyprus warned on Tuesday.

The TSO said electricity supply may have to be interrupted on a rotating basis for consumers for as long as the industrial action remains in force.

It also announced that 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.

As a result, the TSO 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 to occur 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.

The schedule of planned power cuts by area will be published on the TSO website the day before they are due to take place. However, 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.

The TSO said it has informed the energy ministry and the Energy Regulatory Authority and remains in constant coordination with the relevant authorities to manage the situation.

It apologised for the disruption consumers may experience and said every effort would be made to minimise the impact.