Due to the cold snap forecast for Thursday, Cyprus' electricity grid will be subject to increased strain in the coming days, leading to an increase in heating demand.

"It will be difficult. We are already seeing very high demand. We hope that everything goes well. The situation is being continuously assessed and appropriate decisions will be made," said transmission system operator spokeswoman Chara Kousiappa on Wednesday.

Kousiappa told the Cypriot news agency that the situation would be reassessed on Thursday when temperatures drop.

By then, she said, “we hope that some plants will be repaired” and their production can be fed into the grid.

Kousiappa explained that some of the plants were undergoing scheduled maintenance, while the plants in Dhekelia and Vasiliko were experiencing disruptions.

She added that the crucial hours are after 6pm, when no renewable energy is contributing to the system.

From 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., it would be better for people to limit their electricity consumption to avoid power outages, Kousiappa said.

She also called on the population to use high-power appliances during the day and to avoid straining the system during peak times.

For Wednesday, a few hours before the onset of cold weather, Kousiappa said that unless there was a disruption, there would be no power outages.

"We will still be at our limits [...] the public may be asked to reduce electricity consumption during peak hours," she added.

According to Kousiappa, people actually consumed less electricity on Tuesday, which enabled smooth night-time supply.

According to official information from the operator, conventional power generation was 530 MW and photovoltaic power generation was 208 MW at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, while total demand for the same period was 744 MW.
Kousiappa said demand would rise to 900 MW on Wednesday evening and solar would not contribute.

Regarding energy exchange with the North, Kousiappa said that this was already happening in many cases and not only now, as part of confidence-building measures.

She explained that in recent days, due to the networking of the systems, there had been an automatic supply of energy from the north during peak times.

Kousiappa said that in case of failure, data flow between the two systems happens automatically.

This, she added, contributes to the stability of the entire system and is usually a case of low demand.
It is clearly a flow of energy and not a financial exchange, Kousiappa stressed.

Meanwhile, Disy said the impending drop in temperature and the expected strain on the power grid made it clear that energy storage must be given top priority.

Further investment in photovoltaics and large-scale energy storage would benefit households and businesses alike and reduce pressure on the electricity grid.

“The government must act more quickly and decisively in this direction,” said Disy.

Edek stressed that opportunities for energy storage on the island urgently need to be created and the supply of natural gas to Cyprus needs to be accelerated.

"We cannot afford the slightest delay. Cyprus, its people and its economy cannot serve as hostages of the occupying pseudo-state and its fate," said Edek.

On Tuesday, electricity production met demand and the situation was closely monitored.
The north supplied the republic with electricity on Monday evening after a fault at the Dhekelia power plant left the republic unable to meet its own electricity needs.

Cold weather

Cyprus

power outages

Source: Cyprusmail.com

Author: Rebekka Gregoriades