Filenews 11 November 2021 - by Vassos Vassiliou
Yesterday's strong winds, which reached 9 Beaufort in some areas, literally distributed the energy production pie in Cyprus, since when the Aeolus bag was opened, the wind turbines produced 304 megawatts (MW) corresponding to 52% of the total production, compared to 274 megawatts produced by EAC and corresponding to a percentage of 48%.
It is worth noting that at midnight on Tuesday, that is, before yesterday's strong winds began to blow, the wind farms produced 22 megawatts of energy, which corresponds to only 6% of the total of 380 megawatts produced at that time to meet the demand.
Meanwhile, there is concern that while applications for the installation of photovoltaic plants with a capacity of about 750 megawatts are pending, a cut has already been imposed on existing plants whose capacity is around 150 megawatts. As was said before the House Energy Committee, the cuts by the energy manager were observed on Sundays and holidays. As indicated, this, combined with the fact that other applications for the installation of photovoltaics are pending, is worrying.
In addition to the applications that are now pending and concern the installation of photovoltaics of 750 megawatts, from the applications submitted in 2018 (under a grant program of the Ministry of Energy) units with a capacity of 95 megawatts were installed while 26 megawatts units fall under the transitional implementation period. Another 14 megawatts that are already being produced are part of the second project (with a total production of 259 megawatts) also announced by the Ministry of Energy. Meanwhile, as part of the ministry's second programme, the installation of other units is pending. Some of the units are not implemented due to difficulties in financing or even uncertainty in the market, in the sense that investors do not know how much they will receive from the production of energy.
The banks do not lend because they pass through a sieve the applicants to ensure that "the green loans that will be given will not turn into red ones", as the representative of the Association of Banks said.
As was also said before the House Standing Committee on Energy, investors prefer the stability of their income, through long-term contracts with the state. A spokesman for the Electricity Authority said before the Commission that one way of ensuring investors would be to launch a tender by the state, as is the case in other EU countries.
