Cyprus funds public charge points
The government of the Mediterranean island of Cyprus is funding the construction of 1,000 public charging stations for electric vehicles with 3.7 million euros. The project will be implemented in two phases. The first phase has a budget of 1.85 million euros, for which applications can be submitted until 31 January 2023.
Funding applications are not limited to companies but are also open to associations and foundations. Non-governmental organisations, legal entities under public law or owners and tenants of parking spaces that can be used by the public are also to be able to receive funding for the construction of charging stations.
Both AC and DC charging stations will be funded. Within AC chargers, the subsidy amount is staggered – from 1,100 euros for a 3.7-kW charger to 2,000 euros for a 22-kW station. In the case of DC chargers, devices with less than 50 kW are subsidised at 7,000 euros, with 50 to 150 kW, the subsidy is 20,000 euros, and with more than 150 kW, 3,000 euros.
Regardless of the type and power class, a maximum subsidy rate of 50 per cent of the total expenditure applies. Charging points in remote, mountainous regions receive a special subsidy of up to 55 per cent.
Restrictions also apply, in that an applicant can only receive funding for four charging stations per district. If the charging stations are to be built in several districts, the upper limit is 15 charging points in the whole of Cyprus. This does not apply to local authorities, which can receive funding for up to eight charging stations in their area. Here, the government apparently wants to ensure that many small operators install charging points without enabling just one large operator to dominate the market with the use of subsidies.
According to a media report after the cabinet meeting, the Minister of Transport, Communications and Labour, Yiannis Karousos, stated that the 1,000 publicly accessible charging stations should be in operation by 2026. The second phase of the funding programme is expected to be announced by the end of 2023.
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