EAC upgrades to stabilise system
The board of the Electricity Authority of Cyprus (EAC) is set to award contracts for two projects worth €45 million to beef up the electricity transmission system. The EAC’s top priority is the stability of the system and providing uninterrupted power to consumers. The EAC is also working on increasing infrastructure projects to help with the penetration of renewables in the energy mix. The layout of the grid is not to blame for discarding energy generated from renewables, as the cutbacks are due to demand being less than the generated electricity. It is currently unfeasible to have a transmission grid that allows the connection of renewables from anywhere in Cyprus due to the high cost of building a new network. Strengthening transmission lines would require a major investment of hundreds of millions of euros, which consumers would have to pay for. Acquiring permits for new transmission lines also takes a long time.