Cyprus Mail: Energy sector reform is urgent, regulators told
THE planned new rules for reforming the energy market in Cyprus need to be urgently put in place, Energy Minister Giorgos Lakkotrypis said yesterday.
The minister was speaking at the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the Cyprus Energy Regulatory Authority (CERA) and its Austrian counterpart, E-control.
The urgency, Lakkotrypis said, was down to two reasons; “firstly, to facilitate the entrance of new players in the generation and supply of electricity and, secondly, to allow for renewable energy sources to compete on equal footing with conventional electricity generation.”
He added that recognising CERA’s need to have in place the necessary human resources in order to effectively exercise its tasks, the cabinet had recently decided to exempt the authority from the general restriction of the governmental and semi-governmental sectors on hiring new personnel.