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Several areas across Cyprus were left without electricity on Friday morning, with power cuts reported in all districts as temperatures remained high and a yellow weather warning was due to come into force.
The Electricity Authority of Cyprus (EAC) said the disruption was caused by a problem with the electricity generation system.
According to information obtained by Kathimerini from the Cyprus Transmission System Operator (TSOC), the loss of generation occurred in the occupied areas. The cause of the failure was not immediately known.
The electricity networks on the two sides of the island are interconnected, meaning a significant loss of generation on one side can affect supply on the other. The interconnection was established under the confidence-building measures agreed between the two sides.
The disruption consequently affected electricity availability in the government-controlled areas, leading to extensive outages.
TSOC said it expected the problem to be resolved shortly.
The incident has raised questions about the ability of the EAC and TSOC to respond to sudden disruptions originating in the occupied areas. TSOC operates under the oversight of the EAC.
The outages also occurred during a period of high electricity demand caused by elevated temperatures, while solar generation was producing substantial amounts of power.
The incident is likely to prompt further questions for the EAC and the government over the resilience of Cyprus' electricity system and the safeguards available to households and businesses during periods of extreme heat and sudden losses in generation.
