The views of all the affected communities were heard at a meeting on Friday regarding the proposed photovoltaic project in the areas of Lythrodontas, Mathiatis, and Analiontas/Kataliontas, according to a statement from the office of the Commissioner for the Environment.
It was noted that an on-site visit revealed the pines scheduled to be cut do not have pine shoot beetle, and the forest is healthy.
The statement said that the meeting was attended by the Commissioner for the Environment, Antonia Theodosiou, an officer from her office, the President of the Machairas Complex and President of the Mathiatis Community Council, Theodoros Tsatsos, the President of the Lythrodontas Community Council, Olivia Christoforou, a member of the Lythrodontas Community Council, Therapon Antoniou, and a representative of the Analiontas/Kataliontas Community Council.
During the meeting, the views of the Machairas Complex, and particularly the three directly affected Community Authorities, were presented, and information was provided on the proposal to construct and operate a 180MW photovoltaic park and 40MW energy storage units, to be built on state-owned land, for the most part, covering a total area of 3,500 acres.
As stated in an announcement, the local authorities expressed their opposition to the creation of such a large-scale photovoltaic park, citing concerns about both the size of the park and the vast area of land it will cover, as well as the thousands of trees that will need to be cut down, the loss of cultivable land in the area, the change in the natural landscape, the negative impact on a nearby farm due to high temperatures generated by tree felling or the operation of the park, and, mainly, as they said, the negative impact on the habitats of the area.
Similar views were expressed by the Office of the Commissioner for the Environment regarding the environmental impacts.
A site visit was then carried out, and it was found that the pines do not have pine shoot beetle, there are pines of different ages, indicating a healthy pine forest, olive groves, fertile agricultural land under cultivation, and significant geomorphological features such as pillow lava hills. Raptors and crows were also observed.
An Environmental Impact Assessment Study (EIAS) and a Supplementary Study have been submitted to the Environmental Authority for this proposed project, and the project will remain open for consultation until 24/08/2024.
Views from any interested party can be submitted electronically until this date on the website of the Department of the Environment, which includes information regarding projects that have been submitted to the Environmental Authority under the Environmental Impact Assessment Law for Certain Projects N127(I)2018.
(information from CNA)
