Environment dept under fire over wind farm 

Environmental organisations Terra Cypria and BirdLife Cyprus found on Tuesday that a wind farm in Kellia state forest in Larnaca, which had been put on hold by the Environment Department for a series of violations, has been concluded with the blessings of the department itself.

They said the Republic is already facing an EU procedure for failing to adequately implement a directive on birds.

In the context of this procedure, the European Commission has already sent a letter of notice (2019) and a reasoned opinion (2024) and may take Cyprus to court if it fails to take measures to preserve nature and protect biodiversity.

The two organisations said the wind park is included in this procedure.

On December 19, the environment department had requested in writing the immediate termination of works on the wind farm, however the two organisations said they visited the site on Tuesday and found that construction works had been completed without environmental approval and with an expired building permit.

Terra Cypria and BirdLife Cyprus visited the site four times between December 12 and 19 and reported the continuation of construction works on the wind farm, in violation of legally binding and substantive terms of the environmental approval and building permit.

They said three 4.5MW wind generators were installed in the state forest, adjacent to the Natura 2000 area in Koshi-Pallourokampos, without following proper procedures.

In letters sent to relevant ministers, the two organisations called for the immediate termination of works and the restoration of the area, calling on the environment department and the town planning department to revoke the environmental approval and building permit.

They also called for the termination of all construction works in the area, the removal of all building materials and the immediate reversal of the damage already done.

The organisations said that on December 19 the environment department sent a letter to the construction company, outlining violations, such as the broadening of roads leading to the construction site.

According to the terms of the environmental opinion, any parts that cannot be transported via existing routes should be taken by helicopter.

Thus, the environment department requested all works be terminated.

According to the two organisations, the building permit expired on December 31.

Nevertheless, the works continued.

Stockwatch on Tuesday quoted the director of the environment department saying that over the Christmas holidays he issued a positive opinion on the subsequent modification of the terms that had already been violated.

Terra Cypria and BirdLife Cyprus said no ecological report or positive opinion had been sent out, however on Tuesday a report was uploaded to the archives of reports for special ecological evaluation, dated December 2024, without any minutes being sent to the ad hoc committee for the special ecological evaluation, as stipulated by law.

In any case, the building permit issued on September 30, 2022, and which expired on December 31, 2024, without having yet been renewed, meant that the works continued without a permit, the organisations said.

The director of the department told Stockwatch that the wind park had been issued a permit and that the owners were told to stop works until the permit was renewed, however this did not mean that the project would not be completed.

Terra Cypria and BirdLife Cyprus said that since May 2024 the company had violated eight out of 12 legally binding terms, causing serious and irreversible environmental damage.

They added that the fact that the director of the department had referred to imposing a fine constituted an immediate admission of the damage.

In a response on Tuesday, the Environment Department said the project had initially been submitted for evaluation in 2006 and received a positive opinion in 2007.

A building permit followed and the project was resubmitted for evaluation in 2018.

An updated opinion was issued in 2019 by the environmental authority, it said.

After complaints filed in April 2024, the department fined the administrator of the project and requested the pause of works in order to limit the impact on the bird breeding season.

Works were paused again in December 2024 to evaluate changes to plans and the department issued a report, which was uploaded to its website on Tuesday.

In its statement, the department said all decisions were made with the protection of the environment in mind and showed no tolerance to projects with a negative impact.