The Electricity Authority of Cyprus (EAC) has been instructed to immediately cease installation works and remove poles and cables set up to connect a wind farm in Kellia, Larnaca, to the electricity distribution network in Athienou.
This directive follows the discovery of breaches in legally binding and material conditions of the environmental approval issued in 2019, specifically within state forest land and the Special Protection Zone (SPZ) Kosi-Pallourokampos, part of the Natura 2000 network.
In a letter dated August 6 2024, the Department of the Environment (DoE) called on the EAC to submit a reference report addressing these breaches. The Game and Fauna Service (GFS) had earlier recommended that Special Ecological Assessment (SEA) studies be conducted, which the EAC failed to follow.
The DoE and GFS are now requiring a new design for the proposed medium-voltage overhead network extension, which must be evaluated for its potential impacts on protected species and habitats in the Natura 2000 network.
The GFS further recommends that any new electricity distribution network within these protected areas should be underground, except in exceptional circumstances, to mitigate the risks of bird collisions and electrocution, particularly affecting large raptors.
The EAC has acknowledged the halt of installation works following protests from environmental NGOs and has indicated its willingness to install fully insulated overhead lines within the Natura 2000 area, if required by the DoE.
However, the GFS insists that construction and interconnection works for the wind farm will not proceed until specific conditions, including compliance with Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) requirements and the under-grounding of cables, are fully met.
The DoE also highlighted the necessity for the EAC to restore the natural environment as closely as possible to its previous state and emphasised that the removal of poles and cables should not occur during the main bird-breeding season, from February to mid-July, and without expanding or widening existing roads.
