Cyprus-Forum.com

[Sotos]

THE DIRECTOR of the Turkish Cypriot electricity authority Kib-Tek is due to meet today in Nicosia with officials from the Electricity Authority of Cyprus (EAC) to discuss the provision of further electricity to the north for the month of May.

Turkish Cypriot press reported yesterday that their electricity department had requested the purchase of an additional supply for the next month to prevent power cuts it fears could be caused due to maintenance work on pipe turbines at the Teknecik Power Station nearin Kyrenia.

The Kyrenia plant became disabled in January this year after an explosion during maintenance work. The EAC provided supplies to the north for over a month until the problem was fixed. Over ?£1 million was paid by the Turkish Cypriot side for the electricity supply for the period.

Kib-Tek Director Fuat Mertay told journalists in the north it wcould cost four times less to buy power from the Greek Cypriot side than to power up the station’s gas turbines which would cost four times as much.

Mertay said the north would need around 20 megawatts to prevent power cuts in May.

The EAC said yesterday it would not have a problem supplying the north for another month, but warned that beyond that it would be difficult, especially coming up to the summer season, when demand in the south soars with the massive use of air conditionersof the island would be very high.

“They [(the Turkish Cypriots)] know that,” said EAC spokesman Costas Gavrielides.

Gavrielides said there were not likely to be any electricity supply problems in the free areas this summer on the south of the island with regard to electricity supply. He said hHowever, 2008 could to prove to be a difficult year as far as the generation of supply was concerned.

In June, the EAC is due to sign an agreement for the new fourth unit at Vassiliko, but Gavrielides said that since demand increases each year by five or six per cent, problems could arise in 2008 when demand is expected to be at least ten per cent higher than now.

By that time, the fourth unit might be up and running but there could be some transitional “gaps” in the generation of the amount of electricity needed until it is fully functional.
ends

How about this as a postive step for unification: To have one electicity authority, one water suply authority, one semi-state airline etc? This way we can have economies of scale and everybody will benefit financially and also it will be a step for unification.

[Piratis]

Problem is that the only "steps" that Turkey is willing to take are the ones that will upgrade the status of the pseudo "trnc". If Turkey cared about the well being of TCs instead of the upgrading of their pseudo state then steps for reunifying Cyprus and even the solution would have been found long long time ago.

[lysi]

What stupid fools the cyprus government are for giving free electricity to the occupied areas, and the turks have not even handed back 1 field to the greek cypriots. Even if the occupation regime pay for the electricity why help the occupation in this way ?

[bg_turk]

What stupid fools the cyprus government are for giving free electricity to the occupied areas, and the turks have not even handed back 1 field to the greek cypriots.

Who told you it was for free?

[Sotos]

It is not for free but still it is a big help for TCs. Another thing we can have common are sports associations. And TCs to participate in the national teams of Cyprus. Why not?

[lysi]

sotos, untill the occupation authorities start to hand back land then why should the cyprus government help the occupation by giving or selling them electricity.
Me and my familly are still waiting to return to our homes & land and the turks have not even handed back 1 field, what mugs the greek cypriots are.

[Sotos]

lysi, the Turkish occupation army will have as much electricity as they need. The ones that have shortage are regular TC people.

[lysi]

Oh dear sotos, the people in the occupied north are making plenty of money from selling off greek cypriot land & property, let them buy there electricity from there paymaster TURKEY.

[BigDutch]

The RoC appears to be in a lose-lose situation regarding the electricity.

If they refuse to supply they will be accused of not caring for the citizens in the occupied areas. These citizens are also RoC citizens so they are not helping their own people. You can imagine the TC saying "you won't even help us on electricity, do you expect us to really beleive you will care for us if the partition is resolved ?". Lack of electricity supply could be seen as an inhumane embargoe. International community will condem RoC for not being more supportive.

On the other side, when they do supply, they are probably helping the pro-partition occupying force to carry on going as they have been, in effect helping the occupying forces. The electricity may be powering the development and properties built on GC owned land on which the "TRNC" has made no apparant effort to stop development of. GC property occupiers thinking "wow, i`m living in a GC house, and now the silly buggers in RoC are supply electricity to me - i can't lose here!"

EAC supplying electricity is defintely "the right thing to do", however once the occupied power stations are up to strength there will be no need for EAC to supply any more, do you really think RoC/EAC will get anything more than a "thanks for that" ?

Also why don't RoC/EAC suggest to TC that "we will supply you electricity if you pay the debt for the decades of free electricity we gave you"?

[cypezokyli]

why cant it be a win-win ?
we give supply , and it builds bonds and relationships between the two communities. with some luck we find a way to cooperate in the electricity or power sector - and it can show us that it is not that difficult to cooperate.

besides if you want to think about it tottaly from a self interest point of view - we just made a sale that will improve the goverment finaces. .... who knows sometimes the glass can be half full.