Fact Check Cyprus disputes energy claims made by Fidias Panayiotou

Fact Check Cyprus, a research unit based at the Cyprus University of Technology (CUT), has officially labeled recent claims by MEP Fidias Panayiotou regarding electricity prices as misleading and inaccurate. The verification center conducted a formal inquiry with the Electricity Authority of Cyprus (EAC) to investigate public assertions made by Panayiotou via social media.

Panayiotou had alleged that private photovoltaic parks produce electricity at a cost of 5 to 7 cents per kWh, but sell it to the EAC at 25 to 30 cents per kWh, representing a markup of approximately 4.6 times. Furthermore, he claimed that the President of the Republic possesses the authority to unilaterally reduce electricity bills for all Cypriot citizens by 20% through a single executive decision.

Following its investigation, the Fact Check Cyprus team concluded that these figures and the implied legislative power of the Presidency are factually incorrect. The findings rely on official regulatory documentation, specifically citing the CERA Regulatory Decision 01/2021, to refute the narrative that electricity costs can be arbitrarily reduced by executive order. The analysis serves as a direct rebuttal to the social media challenges posed by the MEP, emphasizing the complexity of the energy market structure in Cyprus.