Teknecik Power Plant technical issues drive up electricity costs

Ahmet Tuğcu, President of the Cyprus Turkish Electricity Authority Employees' Union (El-Sen), has criticized the government regarding energy investments and rising production costs at the Teknecik Power Plant.

Tuğcu reported a significant discrepancy between installed capacity and actual output. Out of a total installed capacity of 260 MW, only 80 MW is currently in production. Specifically, thermal units with 120 MW capacity are producing only 35 MW, while diesel units with 140 MW capacity are producing only 45 MW. The shortfall is attributed to one thermal unit being out of service and others suffering from inadequate maintenance and lack of necessary parts.

Due to these technical failures, the plant has had to rely on gas turbines, which carry much higher fuel costs. The fuel cost per kWh is 11 cents for diesel, 17 cents for thermal, and 35 cents for gas turbines. Tuğcu stated that using these more expensive gas turbines created an additional cost of approximately 12 million dollars in September alone. He further argued that the government is misrepresenting fuel expenditures, paid for by citizens through their electricity bills, as capital investments.