First Wind Farm for Cyprus

Cyprus News (10.8.09)

Cyprus is going green! The Famagusta Gazette and the Financial Mirror both recently reported that Cyprus will soon have its first wind farm, expected to be the largest ever in the eastern Mediterranean. Construction will begin in September in the Orites region of Paphos in the south west of the island and it is hoped that it will be operational by the end of 2010, when it could extend its capacity to 140MW.

A deal has been signed between Cyprus' electricity supply operator and the Cyprus-based Danish firm, DK Windsupply, who will be working with London-based Platina Partners to develop the £145 million project. A spokeswoman for Platina Partners described the project as one of the best renewable energy projects in Europe.

The wind farm will be part of the government’s programme to meet EU objectives which require member states to move towards more renewable energy sources. The Cypriot government aims to achieve 13 per cent of its power from renewable energy by 2020.The European Investment Bank is putting €65 million into the project along with other international banking institutions, including Commerzbank, Nord LB and ING Bank. A spokesman for ING bank described the wind farm as "an exciting challenge", while a representative of Nord LB acknowledged the excellent support scheme put in place by the Cyprus government which should encourage similar projects on the island. All the investors agreed that they were happy to support the project which would enable the Republic of Cyprus to take a major step in meeting the government’s 2010 Renewable Energy Sources Action Plan, which is in line with the EU´s Renewable Electricity Directive.

The good news for Cyprus is that, once completed, the wind farm could save nearly 100,000 tonnes of CO2 per year and the turbines are expected to deliver enough energy for around 25,000 homes.