The public is paying a heavy cost because of bad and unlawful management of state-owned electricity authority, Kib-Tek, Yeniduzen reports.
Speaking at a press conference, the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus Employees Union (El-Sen) and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus Chamber of Mechanical Engineers (MMO)said that while the public endures higher electricity bill, Turkish-owned electricity company AKSA, which now supplies 49 percent of electricity to North Cyprus, has made a profit of nearly one billion dollars in 24 years.
El-Sen and MMO, at the press conference, also claimed that exorbitant prices were paid due to suspicious contracts. The topic of the press conference was on “.. the last 24 years, how much damage has Kıb-Tek suffered and how much money has been taken from Kıb-Tek and given to AKSA.”
During the press conference, El-Sen President Ahmet Tuğcu and Chamber of Mechanical Engineers President Ayer Yarkıner spoke, and the President of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus Workers’ Unions Federation (Türk-Sen), Arslan Bıçaklı, also made a brief statement.
President of El-Sen Ahmet Tuğcu, said: “Kıb-Tek does not belong to any political party, government, minister, or director; it belongs to the people“.
Tuğcu, stated that his union had been working together with the Chamber of Mechanical Engineers for a year and a half, calculating the costs to society by “ignoring public interest, careless, irresponsible, unaccountable, and lacking seriousness”.
Tuğcu said that the numbers are “disastrous“, emphasising that the Turkish Cypriot community has been condemned to pay the heavy cost of bad and unlawful management every month. Tuğcu stated that El-Sen will continue to fulfil its duty to inform the public correctly and that they can share accurate and scientific data with those who request them.
Criticising the fact that El-Sen and the Chamber of Mechanical Engineers were not invited to be part of the energy committee established at the Ministry of Economy, Tuğcu said that they were not voluntarily included in this committee. He stated that the Autonomy Law has been pending in the committee since 2012, emphasising that this law needs to be passed by the Parliament for a Kıb-Tek free from politics. He concluded by saying, “Kıb-Tek does not belong to any political party, government, minister, or director; it belongs to the Turkish Cypriot people”.
President of the Chamber of Mechanical Engineers Ayer Yarkıner emphasised the need for politicians to withdraw their influence from Kıb-Tek, stating, “Our people are being ruthlessly exploited, an unprecedented and unparalleled plunder is taking place, and governments are causing this”.
Referring to three contracts related to Kalecik, where AKSA’s power plants are located, Yarkıner stated, “There was no need for the Kalecik contracts. Kıb-Tek’s installed capacity was sufficient in 2004, and it was still sufficient in 2009 when it was claimed to be ‘insufficient’… These contracts were made not to serve Kıb-Tek and the Turkish Cypriot people but to provide profit to AKSA“, he said.
Yarkıner pointed out that before the signing of the “Kalecik 1” contract, the self-sufficiency rate of Kıb-Tek, which was 95%, was reduced by 24% with the contract. He also mentioned serious mistakes in the “Kalecik 2” contract, which then-Finance Minister Ahmet Uzun signed. Yarkıner stated, “With this contract, the money for the fuel not used by AKSA was paid. The entire rent was paid, but the counterpart was not received. Adjustments were made in the Council of Ministers for these illegal practices, and a dagger was stabbed into the chest of the Turkish Cypriot people“.
Yarkıner also mentioned that the “Kalecik 3” contract is currently being reviewed at court, stating, “With the Kalecik 3 contract, AKSA’s net profit from August 1, 2023, to 2038 will be 1.26 billion dollars“. Claiming that these decisions were made with the goal of making Kıb-Tek unable to generate power, Yarkıner said, “AKSA made a total profit of one billion dollars in 24 years. If the energy obtained from AKSA had been produced in Kıb-Tek power plants, one billion dollars would have been saved. They threw away this money and caused losses to the institution. To ensure continuous profit for AKSA, they broke Kıb-Tek’s machines, neglected timely maintenance… Kıb-Tek’s capacity declined from 95 percent to 36 percent“.
Green Energy
Yarkıner argued that a million square meters of land that Kıb-Tek would have used for green energy production was given free of charge to the Chamber of Commerce and Hoteliers’ Association, and he mentioned that the matter has been taken to court, with a hearing scheduled for Monday.
Referring to a past incident where the chairman of Kıb-Tek’s board of directors went to South Cyprus to make a decision regarding the payment of the energy compensation, Yarkıner stated, “Was this a decision of Kıb-Tek? No… A $19.4 million offset was cancelled, and Kıb-Tek paid this money“.
Addressing those in power and the opposition, Yarkıner said, “Saving Kıb-Tek tomorrow will be even more difficult“, emphasising the need to solve this deeply-rooted problem, and expressing their readiness to give support.
Yarkıner also addressed the Turkish Embassy in Nicosia, questioning, “Why is permission given for Turkish capital to ruthlessly exploit the Turkish Cypriot people?“
