Cypriot authorities have approved the installation of 400,000 smart electricity meters

The House of Representatives of the Republic of Cyprus has passed a law allowing the Cyprus Telecommunications Authority (CyTA) to enter into a contract for the supply and installation of 400,000 smart electricity meters.

This week, the government submitted the corresponding bill to parliament, urging lawmakers to expedite its consideration. After a committee-level review, the document was sent to the plenary for voting on the same day.

Upon the law's enactment, CyTA can legitimately secure a contract to supply the Cyprus Electricity Authority (EAC) with approximately 400,000 smart electricity meters. The installation of no less than 50,000 smart meters by the set deadline this year is a commitment jointly undertaken by Cyprus and the European Commission under the Recovery and Resilience Fund.

According to reports from the Cyprus Mail newspaper, on March 26th of this year, the Administrative Court ruled that the tender for the supply and installation of smart meters, won by CyTA, was invalid. This was because the semi-governmental company was prohibited from supplying smart meters. It was not within the permissible scope of its activities. This not only deprived CyTA of the contract but also jeopardized a €35 million EU grant.

To circumvent this restriction, the government decided to amend the law. In accordance with the amendment to the telecommunications law, which the House of Representatives passed on Thursday, CyTA's scope of business activities has been expanded.

It is worth noting that this session was the last before the House of Representatives announced a break due to the elections for the European Parliament and local authorities on June 9th.