Brief power cuts hit several areas of Cyprus after sudden cloud cover knocked out photovoltaic production and created an imbalance in the electricity grid, the Electricity Authority of Cyprus (EAC) said.
EAC spokeswoman Christina Papadopoulou, speaking to philenews, said the abrupt loss of sunlight halted solar generation at a time when demand remained high. In such cases, she explained, the system automatically disconnects consumers until the balance between production and demand is restored and liquid fuel generating units are brought online.
The disruption lasted only a few minutes and power has since been restored to all consumers, she said.
The outages coincided with heavy rain falling periodically across various parts of Cyprus, causing water to accumulate on road surfaces. Hail was reported in the Zygi area.
Police called on drivers to exercise particular caution, reduce speed, maintain a safe distance from vehicles ahead and keep their headlights on.
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