Individuals and companies, but also municipalities and communities can propose by the end of the year to the Electricity Authority of Cyprus to lease their land for photovoltaic plants. The required size per lot was reduced in the new tender to 30,000 square meters from 65,000.

EAC requested for expressions of interest for contracts of 27 years and it estimated the authorization period at six to twelve months. The new deadline is much longer than in the previous attempts from 2017.

According to an article in Philenews, the public call gives the opportunity to firms and individual owners with licenses to sell them and lease the land they wanted to install the solar arrays on. The proposals will be evaluated and accepted on an ongoing basis, the document reveals.

The utility, which controls the vast majority of electricity generation capacity in the southern part of the divided state, said it retains the right to renew the agreement on terms which it would negotiate with the owner upon or at termination.

The land should be mostly flat and in the shape of a square, with little or no trees and shading. The appropriate lots are next to roads and they are required to have legal access, EAC stressed. It is possible to qualify several units if they are adjacent. Neighboring pieces with separate owners are also suitable.

The lot must be free of any burdens or commitments or a written consent must be obtained from the relevant party. The proposals are valid for four months, according to the terms the EAC published.

Separately, the company is looking for a consultant to provide forecasts and real-time solar generation estimation at the territory controlled by the Republic of Cyprus. It excludes the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, recognized only by Turkey. The deadline for applications is January 29.

The estimated value of the project is EUR 90,000. The penalty for the withdrawal is 10% of the price and the selected consultant is obligated to pay a 10% performance guarantee.

EAC currently uses the official weather forecast, real-time data from meteorological stations and SCADA (supervisory control and data acquisition) metering on 26 solar farms. It has said it expects to add 150 facilities to the system within two years. The plan is to gradually replace it with the new solutions.