Energy, Commerce and Industry Minister Michalis Damianos will meet the board of the Electricity Authority of Cyprus (EAC) on Tuesday to discuss all outstanding issues facing the utility, in a session he described as pre-scheduled. On the sidelines of that meeting, the minister will also meet EAC trade unions, which have announced a 24-hour strike for Thursday, 24 April.
What is on the table
Among the issues to be discussed are the adequacy of the electricity system, grid-related matters, the Dhekelia power station generators, and photovoltaics. Damianos told the Cyprus News Agency the meeting was arranged in advance, and framed it as an opportunity for better coordination and fuller briefings. "These are issues we have been discussing for some time at leadership level," he said. "We will meet the full board tomorrow for better coordination and more information." Most of the matters on the agenda, he added, "are pressing," and the aim is to apply pressure to establish how far along they are and what steps will be taken to move them forward.
The strike question
Asked whether he would intervene to suspend the announced strike, Damianos was clear that union matters at the EAC are for the board to handle, not the ministry. He said he would nonetheless listen to the unions during his visit, noting that they had previously asked to see him and that it would be appropriate to do so now. "I haven't heard them out until today. It would be good to hear them," he said, while reiterating that any decisions taken will be taken by the EAC. On the question of whether the strike could lead to power cuts, the minister said that too was a matter for the authority.
Source: CNA