The Defence Ministry and the Electricity Authority of Cyprus (EAC) has signed a Cooperation Agreement for the installation of photovoltaic systems, with a total capacity of 12MW, and energy storage systems, at the Ministry’s and the National Guard’s facilities, following a decision taken by the Council of Ministers.
The agreement was signed by the Permanent Secretary of the Defence Ministry, Andreas Louka and the General Manager of EAC Adonis Yiasemides, in the presence of the Minister of Defence Vasilis Palmas.
According to a press release issued by the Defence Ministry the budget for the three-year project, whose implementation is expected to start soon, will be covered entirely by the EU funds, in particular through the “THALIA 2021- 2027” programme through which the Ministry has secured funding to the tune of €19 million.
The press release added that it is expected that the installation of photovoltaics would contribute by around 2.5% to the achievement of the goals of the Republic of Cyprus in the field of Renewable Energy Sources, which were set in the Cyprus National Plan for Energy and Climate for 2021-2030.
According to the Ministry, in addition to the production of energy from renewable sources and the significant contribution to reducing the footprint of carbon dioxide emissions, it is also expected that there will be significant savings in the Ministry’s budget, from the limitation of electricity consumption at the National Guard facilities.
Speaking at the signing ceremony, Louka said that this “important agreement” would contribute to the achievement of the objectives of the Republic of Cyprus in the field of renewable energy sources and added that the project will start immediately and is expected to be completed around the end of 2027.
In the coming months, he added, the second phase of the project is to be signed for the replacement of 4,400 lighting fixtures with installation cost to be borne entirely by the EAC within the framework of the utility’s obligation to save energy for its customers, he said.
Louka added that they were also looking into expanding cooperation in other areas such as the replacement of old energy-consuming air conditioners with new technology ones.
According to Louka, the cooperation between the Ministry of Defence and the EAC began in 2020 with the aim of replacing all the energy-consuming road and perimeter lights in all the National Guard camps and the installation of photovoltaic systems in all the camps.
(Source: CNA)
