Aradippou municipality pioneers RES projects
In a pioneering move, Aradippou Municipality, in the Larnaca district, is creating not one but two solar parks to contribute to clean energy sources.
In comments to the Cyprus News Agency, Aradippou mayor Evangelos Evangelides said that works on the first photovoltaic park would be launched in March next year.
The park will have a capacity of 2.96MW at the cost of EUR 3.3 mln plus VAT.
“This is a very important project, not only because it will provide the municipality with a satisfactory income, but at the same time it will contribute to taking steps towards the creation of a green town, which all municipalities must do if we want to save the planet,” said Evangelou.
He said the municipality has another photovoltaic park of 3MW in the pipeline, with authorities working on the paperwork to complete tenders and acquire the building permit.
The Aradippou projects will add to a long list of RES units to come online in the coming years.
The list includes a joint venture of the Cyprus Church and the Electricity Authority, which has recently received the environmental green light to build 10 photovoltaic parks with a 68 MW capacity in the Nicosia villages of Ayios Ioannis Malounda and Mitsero.
The 10 new solar parks will be added to another four with a capacity of 16 MW already licensed after a positive opinion of the environmental authority in November 2019.
This consortium will create 14 photovoltaic parks with a capacity of approximately 84 MW, costing around EUR 70 mln.
Evangelou said the municipality seeking to improve the lives of Aradippou residents continues after the two photovoltaic parks, as two anti-flood barriers are expected to come online in 2024.
The municipality plans to build two dams on the streams of Kammitsi and Archangelos, the two main contributors to the Aradippou River.
“The dams, which will have a capacity of 1,100,000 m3 and 330,000 m3 respectively, are expected to contain the flows which cause floods in the area.
“It is predicted they will retain 500,000 m3 of water which will cover part of the irrigation needs of the Aradippou reclamation area.”
The total cost of constructing the antiflood dams is EUR 8.9 mln plus VAT.