National targets for Renewable Energy Sources

Renewable Energy Sources (RES) are renewable non-fossil sources such as wind, solar (solar thermal and solar photovoltaic), geothermal, ambient, tidal, wave and other forms of ocean energy, hydropower, biomass energy, energy from landfill gas emissions and energy from gases produced in wastewater treatment plants and from biogases.

Cyprus' targets for Renewable Energy Sources

The Republic of Cyprus in the framework of the “Directive (EU) 2018/2001 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 December 2018 on the promotion of the use of energy from renewable sources” has the following objectives

  • Increase the share of Renewable Energy Sources (RES) in gross final energy consumption to at least 23% by 2030. This percentage is the national contribution to achieving the European Union's collective mandatory target of a 32% share of RES in the EU's gross final energy consumption in 2030.
  • Maintaining a minimum share of 13% of energy from renewable sources in the gross final energy consumption of the Republic from 1 January 2021 onwards.
  • Indicative target for an annual increase of at least 1.1% of the share of ΑΠΕ in the heating-cooling sector.
  • Share of at least 14% of renewable energy in gross final energy consumption in transport by 2030.

The measures and policies that are being implemented or planned to achieve the above objectives, as well as the estimated path to their achievement, are set out in the National Energy and Climate Plan (ΕΣΕΚ). Progress towards the achievement of the objectives shall be monitored through biennial reports submitted to the European Commission.

Review of objectives ΑΠΕ

Package of legislative proposals "Fit-for-55".

The European Commission on 14/07/21 announced a proposal to amend the “Directive (EU) 2018/2001 on the promotion of the use of energy from renewable sources” in the framework of the “FIT FOR 55” proposal package. The revision aims to further increase the use of energy from renewable sources by 2030. The trilogue consultation on the revision of Directive (EU) 2018/2001 has been completed in April 2023.

The revision increases the binding EU-wide target for RES use and additionally introduces new targets or reinforces existing targets for RES use in the building, industry, heating-cooling and transport sectors.

The main provisions of the proposal to revise the Renewable Energy Directive are as follows:

  • The EU's mandatory target for the share of renewable energy in the EU's gross final energy consumption is increased from 32% to 42.5% in 2030. The national contribution to the achievement of this binding target will be revised accordingly, with a possible new target for Cyprus of 31% from the current 23%.
  • The target for an annual increase of 1.1% of the share of RES in the heating-cooling sector becomes mandatory.
  • A new indicative EU-wide target is introduced for the use of 49% renewable energy in buildings by 2030. Each Member State will set an indicative national share of renewable energy use in buildings
  • A new indicative target is introduced to increase the annual rate of renewable energy use in industry by 1.6% by 2030.
  • A mandatory target is introduced to use non-biological renewable fuels (such as green hydrogen) in 42% of the hydrogen used for energy and non-energy purposes in industry by 2030.
  • Provision is made for the establishment by the MS bordering a sea basin of joint targets for offshore RES production in each sea basin by 2050, with intermediate steps in 2030 and 2040.

In the transport sector:

  • The amount of renewable fuels and renewable electricity supplied to the transport sector leads to a reduction in greenhouse gas emission intensity of at least 14.5% by 2030 or a share of at least 29% of renewable energy in gross final energy consumption in transport by 2030.
  • An obligation is introduced for a 5.5% share of advanced biofuels and non-biological renewable fuels in 2030.

Package of legislative proposals«REPowerEU»:

On 18 May 2022, the European Commission published the REPowerEU package, which aims to rapidly reduce dependence on Russian fossil fuels through a strong acceleration of the green transition. Included in this package is a proposal to amend Directive (EU) 2018/2001 on renewable energy sources which focuses on amending the articles regarding the authorisation of renewable energy projects. The trilogue consultation regarding the above proposal has been completed in April 2023.

In particular, the following obligations are introduced :

  • Identification of the land and sea areas necessary for the installation of the RES power plants needed to meet the national RES targets and contributions in 2030.
  • Identification of the land and sea areas necessary for the installation of the RES power plants needed to meet the national RES targets and contributions in 2030.
  • Reduction of the maximum timeframes for the completion of the authorisation of RES projects compared to those set out in the original Directive (EU) 2018/2001.