Aradippou municipality is set to become fully independent from the Electricity Authority of Cyprus (EAC) after having signed a three-year contract with supplier Bioland Energy following a bidding process.

“With this project, we aim for greater independence,” said mayor Christodoulos Partou. The initiative involves Aradippou generating its own solar energy through a municipally owned 2.96 MW photovoltaic park.

This energy will then be sold to Bioland Energy, which in turn will supply electricity back to Aradippou, at a significantly lower cost than EAC, according to Partou.

Bioland Energy is a Larnaca-based renewable energy company specialising in renewable energy. It operates photovoltaic parks across Cyprus, including in Alaminos, Meneou and Aradippou.

“The issue is that the law prohibits us from directly using the energy we produce,” Partou added, adding that this restriction led the municipality to collaborate with Bioland, allowing it to both sell the solar power it generates and benefit from lower energy prices agreed upon with Bioland.

Partou said that the project awaited final authorisation but was expected to launch on Friday. With this deal, Aradippou will become the first municipality to break away from main electricity provider EAC.

Furthermore, he told the Cyprus Mail about plans to expand the photovoltaic park in the future, with the goal of providing more affordable energy, particularly to financially vulnerable residents in Aradippou.

“This could potentially reduce their electricity costs by up to 50 per cent,” he said. However, such an initiative would require changes to existing legislation.

Construction of the photovoltaic park began in 2023, with costs estimated at approximately €3.1 million. Spanning 46,000 square metres, the park is entirely owned by the municipality.