Summary
In October Cyprus drew an average of 586 MW, 27% less than September's 802 MW and 35% below August. Demand kept falling through the month: 601 MW in the first half, 571 MW in the second. Air conditioners stopped running, and heaters had not started yet.
Solar output fell faster than demand, by 39% per day. Thermal plants covered 75.1% of demand, up from 72.1% in September. Three of every four kilowatt-hours now come from fuel oil and diesel. EAC raised the fuel adjustment for October consumption by 21.4%, to 9.73 c/kWh at low voltage.
We take consumption and generation mix data from cyprusgrid.com. The platform shows live generation and demand, renewables and curtailment, emissions and climate targets. It also covers the full electricity market, from day-ahead trading to settlement. October data covers all 31 days.
October demand fell 27%
Demand fell for six half-months in a row
October average 586 MW: −27.0% vs September, −35.0% vs August
Demand has now fallen for six half-months in a row. The steepest step came between late September and early October: minus 18% in two weeks. After that demand fell about 5% per half-month.
Evening peaks stayed below 830 MW in early October and below 720 MW in late October. In early August they reached 1,250 MW. In summer air conditioners drive Cyprus demand. In October most of them stayed off.
Weather
Mean temperature fell from about 22 °C in late September to about 20 °C in early October. That 2 °C step came with an 18% drop in demand. The second half of October cooled by one more degree, to about 19 °C, and demand slipped 5%.
Two warm spells interrupted the cooling. Highs reached 29 °C on 10–11 October and 28 °C on 23 October. Cold nights followed: lows dropped to 13–14 °C on 19–21 October.
October also brought the first heavy rain of the autumn, about 147 mm in total. It fell in three bursts: 1–5, 14–17 and 27–29 October, with 25 mm on 29 October alone. Heavy cloud on those days cut midday solar and pushed the thermal share up.
October rain came in three bursts
About 147 mm of rain over the month, mean temperature 19.4 °C
Temperatures come from meteoblue for a single point at 816 m altitude. The coast runs 3–5 °C warmer, so the values show the trend.
Generation: oil-fired plants took three quarters
Daily generation by source, August to October 2026
Thermal share: August 71.7%, September 72.1%, October 75.1%
- Thermal
- Solar
- Wind
- Biomass
Daily solar output fell 39% from September, while demand fell 27%. Thermal generation dropped 24%, so its share climbed to 75.1%. Cloudy 31 October gave the month's highest share: thermal plants covered 81.9% of demand, and renewables peaked at 299 MW. Peak renewable output reached 464 MW in October, against 778 MW in early September.
Solar fell faster than demand, thermal fell slower
Change in average daily volume, October vs September 2026
Solar also loses output to curtailment. Michalis Loucas estimates that PV curtailment will cost €23.4m in emissions this year (19 October). On 28 October news reports flagged a five-week pause for new renewable connections.
Wind rose to 3.1% of demand in October, against 2.8% in September. Biomass held at about 330 MWh a day. Together they cover about 5% and leave the oil bill unchanged.
Cost: fewer kilowatt-hours, more oil in each
EAC thermal plants burn heavy fuel oil and diesel. EAC passes fuel costs to consumers through the fuel adjustment on the bill. In October that exposure grew in two ways.
- Thermal plants covered 75.1% of demand, the highest monthly share since we started tracking in August.
- The fuel adjustment for October consumption rose 21.4%, to 9.73 c/kWh at low voltage. Monthly customers see it on their October bills, bimonthly customers in November.
EAC fuel adjustment
EAC priced fuel for October at €991.36 per tonne, up 8.3% on September. The adjustment rose 21.4% at every voltage level. Medium voltage now stands at 9.49 c/kWh and high voltage at 9.27 c/kWh. Since August the low-voltage adjustment has climbed 44%, from 6.76 to 9.73 c/kWh.
The fuel adjustment rose 21.4%, more than twice as fast as the fuel price
Change from September to October 2026 consumption, low voltage
Other prices kept climbing. StockWatch reported on 10 October that Cypriot wholesale electricity prices rose 61% in a year. Philenews linked a 20.2% rise in energy prices to Cyprus inflation on 16 October. Christos Tritaios summed up the month on 29 October: same consumption, pricier power.
Lower demand offsets only part of the higher rate. Daily consumption fell 27% and the rate rose 21.4%, so island-wide adjustment payments drop about 11%. A household that keeps using 1,000 kWh a month pays €97.31 in adjustment alone, €17.16 more than for September. A hotel on medium voltage with 500 MWh a month pays €8,370 more.
Dr Panagiotis Agisilaou argued on 29 October that power does not cost the same at every hour. Solar covers midday, oil covers the evening. A pump, chiller or EV charger that runs at noon draws less oil-fired power.
What will shape November
| Date | Event | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| 2 Nov | SEPIE called for removing barriers to energy self-consumption in Cyprus | More rooftop PV and storage behind the meter |
| 31 Oct | Kathimerini: curtailing renewables for grid stability becomes a challenge for Cyprus | More midday solar lost |
| 29 Oct | European wholesale power jumped to €287/MWh | Pressure on fuel and import costs |
| 28 Oct | Five-week pause for new renewable connections; a digital twin planned for the distribution grid | Slower solar growth this winter |
| 28 Oct | Bioland Energy invests €20m in energy storage | Batteries can shift midday solar into evening peaks |
| 27 Oct | Abeille Marengo started seabed surveys for the Crete-Cyprus interconnector | Price relief only after 2028 |
| 27 Oct | Reports point to natural gas in Cyprus before 2030; Kronos via Egypt under discussion | Long-term switch away from oil |
| 24 Oct | CERA awaits full data on producers' profitability | CERA may question producer margins |
| 20 Oct | New land-use law for renewables in Cyprus | Faster siting of PV |
| 15 Oct | Distribution operator published priority lists for storage | First grid batteries move forward |
| 14 Oct | Proposal in Parliament for a permanent 5% VAT on the first 600 kWh | Lower household bills if passed |
| 10 Oct | Cypriot wholesale prices up 61% in a year | Pressure on supplier tariffs |
We take event news from cyprusenergy.news.
November will cut solar output again and may bring the first heating load. Heaters and heat pumps switch on in the evening, so oil-fired plants will cover the new demand. Price still depends on oil. November starts from a fuel price of €991.36 per tonne, the highest of the three months.
Sources
- cyprusgrid.com: demand and generation by source, 1 August to 31 October 2026
- cyprusenergy.news: market news, 1 October to 2 November 2026
- meteoblue: temperature, precipitation and cloud cover, point 35.00° N, 32.99° E, August to October 2026
- EAC: fuel adjustment table for August to October 2026