The Electricity Authority of Cyprus (EAC) implemented islandwide rolling power cuts starting Wednesday evening after soaring summer temperatures pushed electricity demand to historic highs, exceeding the grid’s conventional generation capacity.
The Cyprus Transmission System Operator (TSO) confirmed to philenews that short-term power cuts of up to 30 minutes began at 18:52 to prevent total grid collapse.
The cuts are being applied sequentially across pre-designated customer groups as authorities struggle to balance supply and demand following the evening drop in renewable energy output.
Earlier in the day, peak demand hit a record high of 1,341 megawatts at 14:30, driven by heavy air-conditioning usage during an intense heatwave.
While solar power provided 740 megawatts to meet peak afternoon demand alongside 568 megawatts from conventional plants and 33 megawatts from wind farms, grid capacity became acutely strained as solar generation phased out after dusk.
Total available conventional generation capacity dropped to 1,068 megawatts for the evening period, triggering emergency load shedding across the national grid.
TSO officials warned that the system remains at critical limits and additional power cuts remain possible over coming days if extreme temperatures persist and demand continues at record levels.