Limassol: The process of restoring power in the Limassol district areas affected by the recent wildfire takes time, EAC spokesperson Christina Papadopoulou has told the Cyprus News Agency (CNA).
According to Cyprus News Agency, the restoration efforts are ongoing with around 150 staff members actively involved. Papadopoulou noted the deployment of 16 EAC crews from all districts of Cyprus and the utilization of 11 excavators, essential for creating access roads to the hard-to-reach areas. This is crucial for crews to install power poles.
As of last night, 300 out of 500 burned power poles had been replaced. Additionally, 11 transformers out of 50 have been installed and activated, and a 12 km medium voltage overhead network has been constructed. The initial damage to the medium-voltage overhead network spanned 80 km, highlighting the complexity of the task. Papadopoulou mentioned that approximately 200 power poles that were dangerously exposed had been removed.
The spokesperson emphasized the non-stop nature of the work, with a focus on completing the network repair safely and swiftly. She explained that restoring power in all communities requires the setup of the medium-voltage network first, followed by the activation of transformers and the restoration of the low-voltage network. Power will be restored in undamaged properties once the network is fully set up and transformers are activated. Damaged properties will require new electrical installations and thorough inspections before reconnection.
Papadopoulou highlighted the challenges of restoring power in fire-affected areas, describing the process as time-consuming and the work involved as enormous. The efforts are compounded by the difficult terrain of the mountainous areas, adding to the complexity of the task at hand.