On Tuesday, March 26, Main Group Europe Ltd was denied the necessary licenses for the construction of a large-scale photovoltaic park in the village of Maroni in the Larnaca area.
The decision follows earlier amendments to the Law by the Cypriot Ministry of Interior and the Ministry of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Environment, which restrict the issuance of licenses for photovoltaic parks in nature restoration areas. This case is expected to set a precedent for other developers who will now be afraid to submit similar applications in the future.
The application from Main Group Europe Ltd was received by the planning department on February 22, 2022. The new 3,623MW photovoltaic park was supposed to operate using the latest photovoltaic energy technologies. The project was planned to be realized on a site in a reclamation area, close to the village. The ultimate goal of the project was to meet the region's energy needs and reduce the country's dependence on imported and non-renewable energy sources. However, officials felt that regulations were paramount. Therefore, they did not want to make concessions and scrapped the project.
Recall that in Cyprus, the sun shines almost 365 days a year, the problem of economic consumption of electricity is solved mainly through the construction of photovoltaic parks.
Unlike burning coal, solar energy does not cause the greenhouse effect, which aggravates global warming. Furthermore, solar energy can play an important and cost-effective role in overcoming Cyprus' dependence on fossil fuels.
Improved ways of storing solar energy can also increase the sustainability of the energy system. By storing extra energy on sunny days, batteries ensure that power is available in cloudier weather or when cyclones knock out traditional power lines. As a result, consumers in Cyprus can get more reliable energy at a lower cost.
By the way, these ambitious investments are not just good climate policy, but a great chance for Cyprus to invest in itself and its future.