night-time power — Energy Minister Michael Damianos has made a firm commitment to avoid further night-time power cuts, emphasising plans to bolster electricity storage capacity in Cyprus. Speaking on Thursday ahead of the Electricity Authority of Cyprus’ (EAC) annual review, Damianos expressed confidence that the installation of 120MW of energy storage by early 2027 would mitigate the issues faced this summer.
Recent power outages, which affected consumers on Wednesday night, were attributed to faults in EAC generators. Despite having over 2,000MW of generation capacity from conventional and photovoltaic sources, the minister highlighted that the challenge lies in the night-time hours when solar energy is no longer available.
“The challenge comes during the first hours of the night, when temperatures remain high but solar generation is no longer available,” Damianos explained, pointing to the need for energy storage to utilise excess solar power generated during the day.
The Transmission System Operator has already awarded contracts for the 120MW storage units, which are expected to arrive in January 2027 and be fully operational before the next summer season. “That is so we do not face these problems again next summer,” he stated.
Damianos acknowledged the inconvenience experienced by the public, praising EAC staff for their efforts to limit the duration and impact of the outages. “The public is suffering and they should not have to. This is a problem that should already have been solved; we are doing everything we can,” he said.
With high temperatures anticipated to continue for the week, Damianos assured that authorities would take every possible step to prevent any further overnight cuts. When questioned about the likelihood of additional outages, he noted that predicting technical faults was challenging, but the system operator aims to keep interruptions minimal.
Responding to criticism regarding repeated summer power shortages, the minister insisted that information about affected areas should be provided by the EAC. He reiterated that the introduction of energy storage would significantly enhance the reliability of the system.
In addition to the public storage project, Damianos mentioned that private investors have been permitted to develop up to 150MW of storage capacity, and the EAC is also advancing its own battery storage initiatives. “We believe that next summer this problem will no longer exist,” he affirmed.
The minister recognised that some aspects of the issue should have been addressed earlier and indicated that the government would explore options to expedite storage projects. He refrained from assigning blame for the outages, stating, “Everyone has their own role in ensuring the country’s energy security.”
On the topic of modernising ageing generation units, Damianos revealed that the EAC has ordered three new generators to replace older units at Dhekelia, with two set to arrive in 2028 and another in 2029. Furthermore, he highlighted plans to introduce natural gas at Vasilikos before 2030, which would facilitate the replacement of older EAC units with a cleaner and more cost-effective energy source.
“Natural gas is less polluting and cheaper. That is why the plan is to complete the Vasilikos project before 2030, when these older EAC units should be withdrawn,” he concluded, outlining a more sustainable energy future for Cyprus.
