Cyprus’s electricity system faces a particularly difficult day today and tomorrow, after two production units, one in Vasilikos and one in Dhekelia, went out of operation.
Speaking on state radio, the assistant director of the National Energy Control Centre, Charis Zavallis, said the loss of a 105-megawatt (MW) unit at the Vasilikos power station on Tuesday night pushed the system to its limits.
Zavallis said that if the Dekeleia unit returns to production, the system will be able to cover demand and secure a small reserve. Otherwise, he added, the system is expected to meet demand only marginally.
Pressure on the grid is intensifying because of particularly high consumption. Demand broke every previous record on Tuesday, he said, reaching 1,321 MW during the day and 1,083 MW at night.
A new record is expected today, with daily demand estimated to reach 1,350 MW, rising to 1,095 MW during the evening peak hours.