A critical shipment of 12,000 tonnes of diesel is scheduled to arrive in northern Cyprus on Wednesday to support the Teknecik power station, which is currently undergoing significant repairs. This fuel delivery is expected to sustain the region’s electricity needs for approximately two weeks.
According to Kibris newspaper, the shipment is a crucial step in addressing ongoing issues with Teknecik’s generators, which have been plagued by malfunctions. The latest update from Kib-Tek, the north’s electricity authority, indicates that “Generator Number 8,” which had been out of service for four years, has now been successfully restored. The repair work was conducted by a team from Turkey’s state-owned Electricity Generation Company (Euas), following the arrival of a seven-person delegation from the Turkish embassy on Saturday.
However, discrepancies between official statements and reports from trade unions have raised questions. Ahmet Tugcu, leader of the Kib-Tek employees’ union El-Sen, contradicted the authorities’ timeline, claiming that the Euas team arrived on the island a month ago. Tugcu also disputed claims of an expedited fuel delivery, asserting that the Turkish Petroleum International Corporation (TPIC) did not accelerate the shipment, which was originally scheduled for Saturday.
Concerns about fuel quality have compounded the situation. The fuel delivered on July 26 was widely criticized for its poor quality, which reportedly led to numerous malfunctions and black smoke emissions from Teknecik. Tugcu indicated that faulty fuel injectors, purchased from Turkish private energy company Aksa, were a direct result of this low-quality fuel, causing frequent breakdowns and restarts of the generators.
The regional administration has responded to the fuel quality issue by enacting a cabinet decision on Saturday that exempts Kib-Tek from the public procurement law. This emergency measure will enable Kib-Tek to make urgent fuel purchases outside the regular schedule, aiming to prevent future issues related to substandard fuel.
Tugcu described this exemption as a significant policy shift, coming amid allegations of sabotage against Prime Minister Unal Ustel. The situation escalated last Thursday night when El-Sen members attempted to block Aksa workers from accessing Teknecik for repairs. The confrontation, which turned physical, resulted in Tugcu’s arrest and subsequent release. Video footage surfaced showing Ustel allegedly using derogatory language against Tugcu.
Despite the tensions, Ustel reaffirmed his commitment to resolving the electricity crisis. “We will solve the electricity problem permanently by ensuring energy security in cooperation with the Republic of Turkey,” he stated. Ustel also met with Turkish Ambassador Yasin Ekrem Serim to discuss the potential construction of an undersea electricity cable linking northern Cyprus to Turkey’s grid. Ustel expressed optimism that the cable could be operational by 2028, heralding a new era for the region’s energy sector.
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