Philenews

€7 Million Asked for Solar Permits That Cost €50,000

Published January 13, 2026, 09:28
€7 Million Asked for Solar Permits That Cost €50,000

Former Auditor General Odysseas Michaelides has raised concerns about suspicious dealings regarding the acquisition of solar park permits. He alleges that private companies obtained these permits almost for free and are now selling them to the Electricity Authority of Cyprus (EAC) at exorbitant prices, reaching €7 million for a 14MW permit, while the initial cost was between €30,000 and €50,000. Michaelides accuses the Anastasiades, DISY, and Christodoulides governments of creating a "black market" for renewable energy permits. Furthermore, he points out that RAEK (the Cyprus Energy Regulatory Authority) refused to grant permits to the EAC, forcing it to purchase from private entities. The Christodoulides government, according to Michaelides, banned the leasing of state land for renewable energy projects, effectively excluding the EAC from developing its own facilities, as private companies had already secured the permits. The chairwoman of the Economic Committee and the deputy chairwoman of DIKO have described the situation as "scandalous".