[PIO] Announcement of the Environment Department regarding the operation of a solar thermal park in the Communities of Alambra and Agia Varvara

The Environment Department of the Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment, in the context of the environmental assessment of a private project concerning a proposal for the construction and operation of a solar thermal power plant in the communities of Alambra and Ayia Varvara of Nicosia district, about which there have been recent reports and publications in the press, informs and clarifies the following:

The project in question is a development involving Renewable Energy Sources (RES) with certain particularities due to the large area it is proposed to occupy, as well as the technology it utilizes.

The publications have raised questions regarding the ownership of the land and the procedures by which this area of state land can be allocated for the construction of the project. These issues are not an environmental issue.

The Department of Environment received the application for review, through the Planning Board, on January 19, 2022, accompanied by the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA).

During the initial review of the project, the Department of Environment advised stakeholders of deficiencies in the public presentation process with interested members of the public. For information, the first public presentation of the project was attended by only nine people, and after concerted efforts by the Department of Environment, the project proponent and local authorities to re-conduct the project presentation, more than 150 people attended, with representatives of the Community Councils, representatives of various associations, members of political parties and a large number of residents.

The project was subsequently presented at a meeting of the Environmental Impact Assessment Committee on June 27, 2023, to which the project was invited. At the conclusion of the discussion, Committee members and guests, including local authorities, their consultant and legal counsel, were invited to submit written questions or suggestions of specific deficiencies in the information contained in the EIS. At this stage, the Department of Environment is in the process of collecting all questions, for which additional information will be requested from the developer.

In addition to reorganizing the public presentation, the Department of Environment has