By Christiana Antoniou
On Sunday, 3 August 2025, the Distribution System Operator (DSO) announced the temporary disconnection of residential photovoltaic systems in various areas of Cyprus, for the safe operation of the electricity system.
As Charis Zavallis, Assistant Director in the Operation of the Cyprus Transmission System, told Economy Today, two groups of residential photovoltaic systems were disconnected:
in Nicosia from 11:05 to 16:10 (duration 3 hours and 5 minutes)
and in Paphos from 11:18 to 15:49 (duration 2 hours and 31 minutes)
The disconnection was caused by an emergency technical fault in a Combined Cycle Generation Unit at the Vasilikos Power Station. According to Mr Zavallis, there was a risk of losing part of the unit’s availability in the event of shutdown and restart. To ensure adequacy during peak hours (afternoon and evening), it was deemed necessary to maintain its continuous operation, which increased the minimum load level and led to further renewable energy production cuts.
The causes behind the photovoltaic curtailments
As Mr Zavallis explained, the configuration of the generation schedule of the electricity system units is based on four main factors:
The expected demand during afternoon hours
The availability of generation units
The technical characteristics of the units
The requirements of the Cyprus Transmission System Operator (TSO) for safety and sufficient reserves
According to Mr Zavallis, the main reasons for the curtailments of photovoltaic systems are as follows:
- Reduced demand at weekends: Limited midday consumption makes it difficult to absorb renewable energy production, as conventional units must remain active to cover the evening demand peak.
- Technical problems in conventional units: The need to keep critical units in operation, even in the event of a fault, limits flexibility and increases RES curtailments.
- Tourist and population mobility: The mass exodus of residents and limited tourist consumption reduce overall demand, leading to further rejection of solar production.
Forecasts and next steps
Forecasts for the coming days show a rise in temperature, which is expected to boost demand and reduce the need for curtailments. Nevertheless, according to Mr Zavallis, disconnections of residential photovoltaics are expected to begin — under normal conditions — from the end of September or even mid-October, while during the winter the curtailments will intensify, as was observed in 2024.
From Monday, a unit that had been out of service due to emergency maintenance is expected to return to operation, which, according to him, will offer greater flexibility to the system and help reduce RES curtailments.
Featured photo source: cocleanenergyfund.com
Also read: Registered unemployment in Cyprus drops 6.6% in July
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