North asks for electricity as power station runs out of fuel

The government has received a request to transfer electricity to the north because one of its two power stations stopped working, the Cyprus News Agency reported on Monday.

Turkish Cypriot press reports claimed this was because the power station had run out of fuel.

Yeniduzen reported that as a result, power cuts in the north have been extended from one to two hours, with Gündem Kıbrıs writing that members of the public were unable to reach the electircity authority Kib-Tek to complain. The paper, citing a source, claimed the Kyrenia power station was out of fuel.

Kib-Tek deputy general manager Kamil Direl reportedly admitted there were problems with fuel supply, telling Bayrak that the issue will be resolved within five to 10 days, as more fuel would arrive in the north.

He also said that the generators, supplied by private Turkish company Aksa, were being serviced and should be running soon.

Direl added that a million tonnes of fuel were needed each day to cover increased electricity needs in the north, which explained why reserves were running out faster.

The two sides can transfer electricity between them if power needs arise, following an agreement in 2015 to link the two grids on a permanent basis as part of a series of measures to build confidence between the two communities.

In late December 2021, CNA reported that the Turkish Cypriot side now owed around 2,100MW of power, given to it between August and October, which is expected to be returned through the interconnected grid.

In the meantime, social media users and the media in the north also reported that mobile providers have been notifying subscribers of issues with communication due to an overloading of the 3G network.