Cyprus yesterday said the onus was on its heavy industry to switch to cleaner energy sources after the European Commission cut the island’s CO2 emissions allowance by 23 percent.
“We don’t have a magic wand... heavy industrial units have to modernize their technology and the government has to pressure them in this direction,” said government spokesman Vassilis Palmas.
The European Union executive said it had set the carbon dioxide emissions allowance at 5.48 million tons per year for Cyprus for 2008-2012. Cyprus now relies on heavy fuel oil to fire its power stations. It plans to introduce liquefied natural gas to the market by 2009.
(Reuters, 19/07/2007)