Cyprus faces a severe electricity deficit by 2030 unless the delayed natural gas terminal at Vassilikos is completed, Energy Minister Michael Damianos told lawmakers on Tuesday.
Speaking to the House Energy Committee, Damianos said that finalizing the Vassilikos project represents the island’s only viable path toward long-term energy security. He rejected alternative interim solutions, arguing that launching new public tender processes would involve lengthy legal appeals and construction timelines that the country cannot afford.
The warning comes at a critical juncture for the Cypriot energy sector, which is bound by European Union commitments to decommission older, polluting generation units at the Dhekelia power station by the end of 2029.
The Electricity Authority of Cyprus (EAC) has already ordered smaller, lower-emission replacement generators. Two units are scheduled to arrive in 2028, followed by a third in 2029. However, Damianos clarified that these new generators have a lower capacity than the infrastructure they are replacing. He said this means the full replacement of these generators by the EAC can only happen with the arrival of gas at Vassilikos.
