Summary
In September Cyprus drew an average of 802 MW, 11% less than August's 900 MW. Almost the entire drop came in the second half of the month. From 16 to 30 September demand fell to 731 MW, 16% below early September. Mean temperature dropped by 4 °C over those days, and the first heavy rain arrived on 18 September.
Thermal plants covered about 72% of demand in both months, because solar and oil-fired output lost volume at almost the same rate. Meanwhile the EAC fuel adjustment for September rose 18.7%, to 8.02 c/kWh at low voltage. Island-wide, consumers will pay about 6% more in fuel adjustment while using 11% less electricity.
Three days stand out. On 15 August, the Assumption Day public holiday, demand averaged 813 MW. On 30 August it fell to 650 MW: storms left thousands of homes without power and the temperature dropped to 24 °C.
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.
September demand fell 11%
Demand fell to 731 MW in the second half of September
−16.3% vs early September · September average −10.9% vs August
Until mid-September demand eased slowly, by about 3.5% per half-month once we exclude three outlier days. In the second half of September the pace quadrupled. Summer demand in Cyprus runs on air conditioning, so weather almost certainly drove the drop. Evening peaks in late September stayed below 1,050 MW, against up to 1,250 MW in early August.
The calendar boundary between months had no effect on demand. The break came on 16–18 September, together with the cold spell.
Weather
In August the mean temperature held around 27 °C, with highs up to 36 °C. The first half of September stayed almost as warm.
After 17 September the weather turned. Mean temperature fell to 22 °C, and to 20 °C by 28 September. About 12 mm of rain fell on 18 September and about 17 mm on 30 September. Air conditioners almost stopped running, and demand answered with a 16% drop.
Short cool spells on 16–19 and 29–31 August match the missing evening peaks on the demand chart. Demand responds to weather the same day.
Temperatures come from meteoblue for a single point at 816 m altitude. The coast runs 3–5 °C warmer, so the values under the bars show the trend.
Generation: the thermal share held steady
Daily generation by source, August and September 2026
Thermal share: August 71.7%, September 72.1%
- Thermal
- Solar
- Wind
- Biomass
Daily solar output in September ran 15% below August. Thermal generation fell 10.7%, close to demand. As a result the monthly mix barely moved, although within each month the thermal share swung by 1.5 points. Rainy 30 September set the high: thermal plants covered 77.4% of demand that day.
Clouds on 18 and 26–30 September cut peak renewable output to 714 MW, against 808 MW in early August. In the second half of September wind gained for the first time in two months: 3.3% of demand against 2.3% in August. Together with biomass it supplies about 5% and has no effect on price.
Cost: less energy, a pricier megawatt-hour
EAC thermal plants burn heavy fuel oil and diesel. Their costs track oil, and EAC passes them on to consumers through the fuel adjustment on the bill. September combined two pressures.
- Brent traded below $86 on 26 August and crossed $100 on 9 September, a rise of more than 16% in two weeks. On 25 September diesel at Cypriot pumps passed €2 amid record price increases.
- Thermal plants covered about 72% of demand in both months, and solar did not reduce their share. Expensive fuel stayed behind almost three quarters of output.
EAC fuel adjustment
EAC raised the adjustment for September consumption by 18.7% at every voltage level. Monthly customers will see it on the September bill, bimonthly customers on the October one.
The fuel adjustment rose 18.7%, three times faster than the fuel price
Change from August to September 2026, low voltage
Medium and high voltage rose by the same 18.7%: from 6.5891 to 7.8180 and from 6.4378 to 7.6385 c/kWh. A household using 1,000 kWh a month pays €12.60 more. A hotel on medium voltage using 500 MWh a month pays €6,145 more.
Island-wide, fuel adjustment payments will rise by about 6%. Daily consumption fell 11%, the per-kWh rate rose 18.7%, and the second outweighed the first.
The September fuel price reflects oil only in part, because Brent crossed $100 only on 9 September. The October adjustment will therefore most likely rise again.
Midday solar used to absorb part of the hit. In autumn that buffer shrinks every week. Without storage, the evening peak falls entirely on oil-fired plants. Dr Andreas Prokopiou made this point in his 15 September column: Greece opened regulation for standalone batteries, and Cyprus has not yet.
What will shape October
| Date | Event | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| 2 Oct | An unidentified missile hit a tanker in the Strait of Hormuz | Oil up, EAC adjustment up |
| 2 Oct | OPEC+ postponed its production review for 2027 | Extends supply uncertainty |
| 1–2 Oct | The government approved a €70m support package; critics call it insufficient for households | Softens bills, leaves generation cost unchanged |
| 1 Oct | Oil exports from the Persian Gulf rose sharply | Oil down, partly offsets Hormuz |
| 29 Sep | Meeting on competition in the electricity market | Lower prices in the long run |
| 25 Sep | Diesel above €2 | Transport and small-scale generation cost more |
| 17 Sep | Fuel excise cut extended at a cost of €15.4m | Affects motor fuel, leaves electricity unchanged |
| 15 Sep | ECB raised rates to 2.5% | Costlier loans for PV and storage |
| 9 Sep | Brent above $100 | Main driver of the EAC adjustment |
October will continue September's volume trend. Air conditioners run less and demand falls. Solar output shrinks with the days, so the thermal share will stay above 70%. Price depends on Hormuz and OPEC+ more than on any domestic decision.
Sources
- cyprusgrid.com: demand and generation by source, 1 August to 30 September 2026
- cyprusenergy.news: market news
- meteoblue: temperature and precipitation, point 35.00° N, 32.99° E
- EAC: fuel adjustment table for August and September 2026