Filenews 15 January 2022
The Environmental Authority turned red on a proposed project concerning the construction and operation of a photovoltaic park with a capacity of 1.1 MW owned by Bioland Project 57 Ltd, within the administrative boundaries of the community of Steni in the Paphos district.
The reason for this area is the particularities of this area (agricultural area, high nature value area, proximity of the project to a shelter hosting the rare bat species Rhinolophus Euryale and to an area designated as a migratory bird corridor, as well as to a long river basin), specifications and other elements from the construction and operation of similar projects, the positions of the members of the Environmental Impact Assessment Committee and other stakeholders, as well as the spatial and environmental data of the site. The requested area falls under protection zones G1 and G3. To the west it is bordered by a river of large watershed which has a protection zone and which may be adversely affected during construction by the management of the generated waste.
The Environmental Authority concluded that the project will cause, both during construction and during operation, negative effects on the natural, biological environment, the most important being the impact on the rare bat species, Rhinolophus euryale. The proposed project is about 140 metres away from a shelter that hosts the bat, which for food purposes moves within a radius of 2.2 km and as a measure to maintain the protection of the food area is the radius of 5 km. It is the only breeding refuge for the rarest bat species in Cyprus, the population of which ranges from 120 to 200.
In conclusion, the influence of the Bat Species Rhinolophus euryale due to the loss of food-gathering areas, as well as the shelter due to vibration, the loss and degradation of the species' habitat, the nuisance and displacement of fauna and bird fauna, as well as the other spatial and environmental data of the area, negatively support the licensing of this project." The Environmental Authority recommends that the project should not be carried out.
