Cyprus is on the verge of launching its first wind farm, in connection with the EU’s overall 2020 renewable energy goal.   The island’s first ever wind energy harnessing site is scheduled to open next year and will have an initial capacity of 82 megawatts.  With power output at this kind of level, the Cyprus wind farm will dominate over all other regional sites of this type. 

The wind farm has cost 200 million Euros to develop, 50 per cent of which was supplied by the European Investment Bank.  It will be made up of 41 individual turbines which, overall, will be capable of generating 10 per cent of the electricity consumed by the 800,000 people (according to the most recent estimates) that live on Cyprus.

Orites Wind Farm

Known as the Orites Wind Farm, the site will cover an area of 16 square kilometres in mountainous territory.  It represents an unprecedented venture in the sense that all previous energy ventures have involved the public sector. 

Cyprus is a popular tourist destination during the summer months, which are traditionally very hot.  It also, however, has sufficient wind capacity to energise 50,000 domestic homes.  With the advent of this new wind power technology, the island’s annual CO2 emissions are forecast to reduce by 100,000 tons.  At the same time, 120,000 KW-h (kilowatt-hours) of energy will be produced each year. 

Wind Energy Technology

“It is a very big project”, the visionary behind the development of the new Cyprus wind energy technology , D.K Wind Supply Ltd’s chairman, Akis Ellinas, stated in comments made to news agency Reuters. 

He continued: “Normally in Europe - especially in Greece and Spain - they consider 20 to 30 MW a huge project, so 82 MW is a massive project.  It is the biggest in the region.”

“Cyprus is not among the windiest areas in the world: I'd say we have something in the region of 6 metres per second and around 1,600 hours annually.  But with new technology, like the Vestas 2MW V90 turbines which we are installing at the moment to the project, it helps.”

“That represents almost 3 percent of Cyprus's requirements toward EU regulations and targets.”

See also:

Denmark's World-Beating Offshore Wind Farm Opens

China's First 10 Gigawatt Wind Farm