The fuel oil for Teknecik electricity generating station is on the way with the first of four tankers arriving tomorrow.
Teknecik generates most of the electricity for the TRNC. However it had no stock of fuel oil left and no cash to buy more unless unpaid government electricity bills were paid. This produced the very real danger that the island would be plunged into darkness.
It now appears that the fuel oil requirements for March will be met by the four vessels with the first shipment due tomorrow. The remaining three ships will queue up to deliver their loads of fuel oil.
The 22 thousand tons of fuel oil has been paid for under bank guarantees. The Ministry of Finance has committed to pay approximately US$ 3.9 million for each delivery.
Caglayan Cesurer, head of EL-SEN, the electricity workers union, has provided this information for the press. He says that the guarantees of payment were given to TPIC, the Turkish Petroleum International Company and form part of an eight month agreement.
Cesurer said that the policy of forcing unpaid bills to be paid is working. TL 45 million was collected in February and a further TL 22 million in the first six days of March. The payment plans were working well. As these payments progress, Mr Cesurer said that the cost of electricity should be lowered.
