We are concerned about the attitude and decisions of the guilds of AHK workers and we are monitoring the situation with RAEK to avoid any cuts in electricity supply, Energy Minister Natasha Pileidou said, noting that the issues presented by the guilds "do not reflect reality".
In statements made on the sidelines of her tour of Limassol industries, Natasha Pileidou was asked to comment on the decisions announced by the trade unions of AHK, indicating that "we are no longer talking about a strike but possibly about refusal to perform duties, specifically concerning the power station in Dhekelia".
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"In coordination with RAEK we are monitoring the issue and assess that any impacts will not be severe and likely to be avoided and every effort is being made to avoid any cuts", he said and positioned himself on the issues raised by the unions, stressing that "they do not reflect reality".
He said that for theDhekelia power plant a high-level meeting has already been held with the European Commission, "where presentations have been made of a very serious project that has been carried out by a special working group, including executives of AHK, and we have a positive approach and positive results in relation to the intention of the European Commission to give us some derogation."
I believe, he continued, that it is neither timely nor constructive to have this kind of reaction, since actions have been initiated to resolve the issue and recalled that there are European countries in a "much worse position than Cyprus", as they are currently burning lignite and coal for energy production.
Regarding Renewable Energy issues, the Energy Minister said that "a plan for the development of AHK in Renewable Energy Sources has already been submitted by us to RAEK, which we support and I believe that we have long shown our intentions". "I hope that this plan will be implemented by AHK, so that it has the participation that it needs in RES," she added.
In relation to the issues of reducing conventional production and the positions of the guilds, Pileidou indicated that the needs of Cyprus are specific, "so certainly with the increase in RES, conventional production should also be reduced."
"Nobody talked about specific percentages or steps, but the steps should be agreed upon with a proper strategic planning in the future", she said and expressed the position that "with caution we can move forward without extreme positions and actions and I hope that this will indeed be the case".
Referring to her visits to industries in Limassol, the Minister recalled that "industry is a very serious arm of the Cypriot economy and in the last two years we have had an increase of more than 1% in its contribution to GDP, which is now estimated to exceed 8.5% today, as well as in jobs, which have increased significantly."
Therefore, he added, "as the responsible Ministry we have to support both with policies that are broadly related to business but also in a targeted way, with policies and sponsorship schemes that create additional value and benefit to Cypriot industry, which must remain competitive."
"Our exports[/B] have increased tremendously[/B] in recent years, despite the challenges caused by the pandemic and the energy crisis and we are confident that this upward trend will continue due to the resilience of Cypriot business and our industry and of course we hope to contribute with the right policies," he added.
For his part, the President of the Association of Industrialists of the Limassol Industrial Area, Michalis Neoptolemou, said that the Minister responded to all the questions raised in relation to issues of concern to Limassol's industry.
Asked about this, he said that the issues of concern to the industries relate to energy costs, cleanliness, proper classification of the industrial area, residential zones, leasing period, building rates and various sponsorship schemes.
He also expressed concern about the developments at AEC and the possibility of cuts in electricity supply, which he said "is certainly something the government has to see how to deal with."
Source: CNA
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