Nicosia, Cyprus. Cyprus’ House plenary on Thursday passed a law aimed at curbing the granting of permits for commercial solar parks to protect arable land and conservation areas. The bill, drafted by three Akel MPs, passed unanimously.
Permit restrictions
The granting of permits for commercial solar parks is now prohibited in five cases: where the land is of “a high natural value”; on arable or permanently irrigated land; on land designated as irrigated or areas irrigated under a government project; on land within an environmental protection zone; and on land inside an area designated as Natura 2000.
Farmers exempted for own-use installations
No restrictions apply to farmers installing photovoltaic systems for their own use.
Background and farmers’ concerns
The issue has been discussed intermittently in parliament for years, with farmers from the Famagusta and Paphos districts repeatedly complaining about solar parks expanding, squeezing out agriculturalists and reducing pastures.
Statements in parliament
On the House floor, Akel MP Yiannakis Gavriel, a co-sponsor of the bill, said he hoped the updated legislation would close “loopholes” that allowed the unchecked granting of solar park permits on farmland.
Diko MP Christos Orfanides said there are around 450 megawatts of installed power from commercial renewables operations on agricultural land. He also cited recent findings indicating that about two-thirds of private-sector renewables capacity is concentrated in the hands of five companies.
How do you think the new restrictions will affect the balance between renewable energy development and agricultural land use?
