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It is with great pleasure that I welcome today's press conference for the organization of the 18th Energy Saving Expo "SAVE ENERGY, GreenBiz & AquaTech Expo 2024", which will give us the opportunity to inform the public about the objectives, format and content of the Expo.
I would like to congratulate the Federation of Employers and Industrialists (OEB) for organizing the "SAVE ENERGY" Exhibition for the 18th year, an exhibition that has emerged as the most important event in our country on saving natural resources and promoting water and environmental protection technologies. The Exhibition is organized with the valuable support and cooperation of the Ministry of Energy, Trade and Industry, the Cyprus Electricity Authority and, of course, our Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment. The exhibition provides a venue for the presentation of innovative solutions and technologies, as well as for the exchange of ideas and good practices between professionals, businesses and the general public, and we are proud that with the long-standing participation of the Ministry and its Departments in it, we have also contributed to its great success.
I would also like to thank you for the opportunity given to me today, in the context of this press conference, to elaborate on the policies and initiatives that we are promoting to encourage savings in the energy sector. At the heart of our Ministry's policy is the implementation of a comprehensive water policy that responds to the daunting pressures on our country due to water scarcity and the impacts of climate change and, at the same time, serves both water supply and irrigation needs on a nationwide scale. Just yesterday, the Council of Ministers approved the National Investment Plan for Water Projects, which was prepared for the first time, and includes 33 water infrastructure projects for water supply, wastewater, reclaimed water and irrigation with an estimated value of €722 million that are under construction with a completion horizon of 2024-2029. Another 60 projects are under evaluation with an estimated value of €445 million with a start and completion horizon of 2025 and 2030 respectively. Through this, the implementation of the objectives of the governance programme on water adequacy and the use of reclaimed water is initiated and the foundations are laid for the consolidation of a long-term government water policy that strengthens water and wastewater management.
In terms of water technologies, the Water Development Department (DWD) of our Ministry, in the context of its mission for the rational management of Cyprus' water resources, utilizes various technologies including.
- The Smart metering system installed in the Tercefano-Lekosia pipeline utilising NB-IoT wireless technology with balance sheet capability for leakage and water loss detection. - Data loggers in rivers, lakes and dams for quantitative water monitoring. - Innovative solutions for level recording at dams such as the installation of Radar at a fixed point (e.g. dam tower) and the floating GPS system "Deucalion", which was designed and developed entirely by TAY; - Combating blue-green algae by ultrasound emission at 32 points along the Southern Pipeline, between the Kurri Dam and the Limassol Refinery. - Integrated Geographical Information System which was installed at TAY in order to computerize all the activities of the Department based on the geographical nature of the organization's assets such as pipelines, pumping stations, refineries, tanks, etc.
In addition, TAY is considering various actions to further enhance the success of its mission through the use of technology, such as: - Installation of on-site chlorine dioxide production units at all operating refineries (Kornou, Tersefanou, Limassol, Asprokremmos and Cannaviou) and installation of treatment units with activated carbon filters at the three largest refineries (Tersefanou, Limassol and Asprokremmos) with benefits such as improving water quality, reducing energy consumption and production costs and reducing interruptions in water supply and distribution. - Installation of an Integrated Monitoring and Control System for Water Projects (€7 million). through the EU Recovery and Resilience Plan) which will be interconnected with smart devices, such as meters recording water consumption, energy consumption, water flow, water quality and water level, and will aim to provide early warning in case of crisis (flooding, quality degradation), reduce losses, reduce energy consumption and operating costs, and will be a decision-making tool. - Installation of photovoltaic systems on the roofs and facilities of various TAF infrastructure to reduce operating costs and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. - Preparation of a feasibility study and technical specifications for the installation of floating photovoltaic (FPV) and pumped-hydro systems with the appointment of consultant-designers and funding from the EU PSI funds.
In the context of the general effort of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development for energy saving and the transition of the primary sector to an environmentally and energy neutral era, investments of €60 million have already been approved for existing and new farmers through resources of the Rural Development Programme 2014-2020. This amount includes investments in photovoltaic systems with a capacity of 10 MW, through Net Billing, virtual offsetting, as well as autonomously with storage systems. At the same time, eligible actions and investments are included regarding the treatment of livestock waste for energy production, recycled water infrastructure, as well as water saving systems through technologies and the use of smart irrigation systems.
In the near future, efforts will be made to re-launch the corresponding measures included in the CAP Strategic Plan 2023- 2027, through which farmers and livestock farmers will be given the opportunity to further reduce their carbon footprint, protect The need for upgrading the grid infrastructure is also noted so that the whole effort can immediately achieve its goal, as it is known that with the great interest in installing RES, several areas have experienced saturation in load dispatching which for the primary sector is an obstacle to the further development of these systems especially where interconnection with virtual offsetting is required.
Today more than 90% of irrigated agriculture in Cyprus uses high efficiency irrigation systems. In the context of further modernization of farms through the Strategic Plan of the Common Agricultural Policy, actions for the replacement of irrigation systems with even more improved modern water management automation systems, irrigation auxiliary equipment for the implementation of irrigation schedules at plot level are financed, while special emphasis is given to subsidy programmes for the installation of photovoltaic panels for the operation of pumping units. At the same time, protecting crops from extreme weather events with cover and cultivation within greenhouses increases the water use efficiency index (increasing production with less water per unit area).
Agricultural research has advanced in the application of new cutting-edge technologies in the primary sector that take into account the weather conditions and microclimate of a region through intelligent systems. The subject of a presentation for the purpose of demonstrating the potential of precision agriculture is currently an innovative and model intelligent irrigation system installed on a farm of the Department of Agriculture. The innovative automation methodology in the collection of real-time climate data and its utilization for irrigation purposes is a technological achievement. As an extension of the project, it is planned to procure a robotic, autonomous, automatic, zero-carbon weed control system at the field level.
Promoting the application of smart agriculture methods and encouraging the adoption of innovative technological solutions through targeted policies and grant programs are vital elements in addressing these challenges, thus ensuring the sustainability and prospects of agricultural production in the future.
Promoting the application of smart agriculture methods and encouraging the adoption of innovative technological solutions through targeted policies and grant programs are vital elements in addressing these challenges, thus ensuring the sustainability and prospects of agricultural production in the future.
Finally, in terms of environmental protection, the prevention and control of pollution from various activities and the management of waste are achieved through the licensing and control system. Water and land pollution issues are regulated through the Water Pollution Control Laws, as well as by the Industrial Emissions Law, which deals with potentially more polluting installations, aiming at integrated pollution prevention and control, minimization of environmental impacts and implementation of Best Available Techniques. In addition, the Waste Law ensures that waste is properly managed without endangering public health and harming the environment. The environmental permit sets conditions for reducing water consumption and treating wastewater for the production of irrigation water.
In conclusion, I would like to wish the Exhibition every success and thank all the partners and participants for their important contribution to its success. We look forward to seeing the innovations and solutions that will be presented, as well as the exchange of valuable knowledge. For our part as a Ministry, we will ensure that the primary sector has the financial tools it needs to be able to take advantage of new technologies and innovations.
(EN)
Contents of this article including associated images are owned by PIO
Views & opinions expressed are those of the author and/or PIO
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