The work
Developers, funders and regulators
Two statutes sit under most of this work. Section 38(1) of the Promotion and Encouragement of the Use of Renewable Energy Sources Law, Law 107(I)/2022, gives consumers the right to act as renewable self-consumers, individually or through aggregators. Sections 9 and 122 of the Electricity Market Regulation Laws, Law 130(I)/2021, give the regulator the power to put that into effect. The detail for a specific installation is under self-consumption and the rules that apply to it.
In short
- Regulatory compliance, licensing, project financing and disputes, under Cyprus and international energy law.
- Renewables, particularly solar and hydrogen: development, finance, grid connection and power purchase agreements.
- Carbon trading, and energy policy as it changes.
We act for developers, funders and regulatory bodies on regulatory compliance, licensing, project financing and disputes, under both Cyprus and international energy law.
In renewables, particularly solar and hydrogen, the work is project development, finance, grid connection, power purchase agreements, and the regulatory incentives that decide whether a project is viable at all.
We also advise on carbon trading and on energy policy as it changes, which in this sector it does.
How to start a first enquiry
Tell us the parties, so we can run a conflict check, the project and its timeline, and any deadline that matters. Please do not send the consents, the offtake terms or any confidential document until we confirm we can act, then they can come through the right channel.
The three tiers
Which tier your project falls into
Everything else follows from this. The Regulating the Electricity Market Law of 2021, Law 130(I)/2021, puts three regimes in front of a generator, and the capacity decides which one.
Section 26(1) is the default: no person may build a generating station or generate electricity, supply electricity to final or wholesale customers, act as transmission or distribution system operator or owner, act as market operator, balancing responsible party or aggregator, own or operate an interconnector, or install or operate an electricity storage installation, without a licence from CERA. Storage operating exclusively for own use is excepted, and a direct line under section 100 is added to the list.
Section 27(1) replaces the licence with a general licence, taken up by notification rather than by application, for five categories: generation from stations not connected to the transmission or distribution system; generation up to 20kW; generation for own use up to 30kW; generation from renewable sources up to 50kW; and small-scale high-efficiency combined heat and power. A proviso closes the obvious route round it: connect a previously unconnected installation to the network and the activity changes, and the process starts again.
Section 27(4)(a) sits between the two. CERA may grant an exemption from the licence requirement, on conditions it sets, for generation for own use above 30kW and up to 1MW, and for renewable generation above 50kW and up to 8MW. Above 8MW there is no exemption route, and section 26 applies.
What the timetable actually is
One month, and what starts it
Under section 27(3)(a) a person who meets the conditions in the general licence may carry on the activity on submitting the notification form to CERA. Section 27(3)(b) gives CERA one month from receipt to assess it and, if the conditions are not met, to ask in writing for corrective steps or further information. Section 27(3)(c) then does the useful thing: the general licence takes effect one month after CERA received the form, provided CERA has not acted under paragraph (b). Where it has, the licence takes effect when CERA is satisfied that what it asked for has been supplied.
That is the whole of the clock, and it is worth reading before a construction programme is set against a guess.
The permits CERA does not give you
A licence is not a consent to build
Clearing CERA and not clearing planning leaves you with a project you cannot build. Section 25(1) is explicit: no person builds and operates a generating installation or an electricity storage installation without securing a licence from CERA under sections 26 and 27 and any other licence, approval or opinion required by any other law. Section 25(2) names what those other authorities weigh: the protection of public health and safety, the protection of the environment, land use and siting, the use of public land, and the contribution of the generating capacity to reducing emissions.
The sequence is where projects lose time. Land rights taken before the grid position is known, or a planning application made before the licensing tier is settled, produce a project that is compliant in each part and unbuildable as a whole.
Since April 2026 the grid has a queue with a written rule. Section 95A of Law 130(I)/2021, inserted by Law 70(I)/2026, stops either system operator reserving electrical space unless every licence and approval needed for the connection is already secured, extends that to flexible connection agreements, and orders the rest by maturity criteria published by the Minister, which may prioritise generation combined with storage. The same amendment says in terms that preliminary connection terms create no load reservation, and requires CERA to re-examine those issued before 14 April 2026. The sequence and the queue are set out in developing a solar project in Cyprus.
A licence that is running out can be extended, on conditions. Section 32(2), added by the same Law, lets CERA extend a licence or an exemption by reasoned decision where the delay is documented, the holder's intention and technical, economic and financial capacity are made out, the Single Point of Service has been approached and the operator has certified that a connection application is on foot. Proof of funds is required on a second or later request, no extension exceeds one year and the total may not exceed five.
Where the planning side is the difficulty, that is set out under planning permits and objections.
Refusal, and what follows it
A refusal has to be reasoned, and it can be challenged
A refusal you disagree with is challengeable, and the reasons have to be there to challenge. Section 31(1) requires CERA, where it rejects an application, to notify the applicant in writing of the reasons, and those reasons must be objective, fair, well-founded and substantiated. Section 31(2) gives the applicant a recourse to the Administrative Court under Article 146 of the Constitution and section 20 of the Establishment and Operation of the Cyprus Energy Regulatory Authority Law, Law 129(I)/2021.
The deadline for that recourse runs from the decision reaching you, which is why the date on the letter matters as much as its contents. What the Administrative Court will and will not do with an administrative decision is under public and administrative law.
A licence or exemption already granted is not fixed either. Section 32(1) makes it subject to amendment, suspension, revocation, termination, transfer or extension under CERA's Regulations, and section 32(2)(a) sets what an extension for a generating station or storage installation requires: a request with the documents justifying it and evidencing the reasons for the delay, satisfaction that the holder's conduct supports an intention to implement, satisfaction that the holder has the technical, economic and financial capacity to implement, and that the applicant has approached the single point of contact.
Buying the electricity
Switching, fixed prices and more than one contract
Changing supplier is now measured in weeks, and from January 2026 in hours. Section 119(1)(a) requires a switch of supplier or aggregator to be carried out within the shortest possible period and at most three weeks from the date of the request. Section 119(1)(b) goes further: from January 2026 the technical switching process takes up to 24 hours and is possible on any working day. Section 119(2) requires the right to be given without discrimination as to cost, effort or time.
Section 118(1)(b) requires suppliers to offer every final customer a fixed-term fixed-price contract of at least one year, and provides that suppliers may not unilaterally amend its terms or terminate it before it expires. Customers on such a contract are not shut out of demand response or energy sharing.
Section 116(b) allows a customer to hold more than one supply contract or energy sharing agreement at the same time, with more than one metering and billing point under a single connection point, where the smart metering under section 125 makes it technically possible.
If a renewable project of yours is at the permit or contract stage, send us the site details and the documents you have been asked to sign at office@kleanthousplatis.com, or the enquiry form. We reply within one business day.
The penalties
What non-compliance carries
Two ceilings apply, and the higher one is reserved for trading on inside information. Section 133(1) makes it an offence to breach or fail to comply with a condition of a licence, an exemption, an Order or a prior licence, to breach a regulatory decision or decision of CERA, to discriminate between persons or between system users, to fail to supply information CERA or the Minister requires, to obstruct an authorised officer, or knowingly or negligently to make a false or misleading statement to one. It carries imprisonment of up to three years or a fine of up to €90,000, or both.
Section 133(2)(a) is the one to read before trading. Article 3 of Regulation (EU) 1227/2011, on wholesale energy market integrity and transparency, prohibits a person holding inside information about a wholesale energy product from dealing in it, from disclosing that information outside the normal course of their employment, profession or duties, and from recommending or inducing another person to deal on the basis of it. A breach carries up to five years or a fine of up to €350,000, or both, and on conviction the person automatically loses the right the subsection goes on to name.
How a matter runs
From first contact to implementation
Every matter is different, but the route is broadly the same. Knowing it in advance makes the cost and the timetable easier to judge.
First contact and conflict check
Review of the land rights, the consents applied for and the offtake terms
Engagement and fee agreement before any work begins
Assessment of the sequence: whether land, licensing, grid and offtake are in the right order
Negotiation of the land, connection and power purchase arrangements
Documentation of the project agreements, or the dispute where one has arisen
Implementation and monitoring of the agreed terms
Frequently asked questions about energy law in Cyprus
Do I need a licence from CERA for a rooftop solar installation?
It depends on the capacity and on what the electricity is for. Section 27(1) of Law 130(I)/2021 puts generation up to 20kW, generation for own use up to 30kW, and generation from renewable sources up to 50kW under a general licence, which is taken up by submitting a notification form to CERA rather than by applying for anything. Above those figures, section 27(4)(a) allows CERA to grant an exemption from the licence requirement for own use above 30kW and up to 1MW, and for renewable generation above 50kW and up to 8MW. Above 8MW, a licence under section 26 is required.
How long does the general licence take to come into effect?
One month. Section 27(3)(a) allows a person who meets the conditions to carry on the activity on submitting the notification form. Section 27(3)(b) gives CERA one month from receipt to assess it and to ask in writing for corrective steps or further information. Section 27(3)(c) provides that the general licence takes effect one month after CERA received the form, provided CERA has not acted under paragraph (b). Where CERA has asked for something, it takes effect on the date CERA is satisfied that enough has been supplied.
Does a CERA licence let me build?
No. Section 25(1) requires a licence from CERA under sections 26 and 27 and, separately, any other licence, approval or opinion required by any other law. Section 25(2) names what the other authorities weigh: public health and safety, protection of the environment, land use and siting, the use of public land, and the contribution of the generating capacity to reducing emissions. A project that has cleared CERA and not planning is not a project that can be built.
Does energy storage need a licence?
Section 26(1)(ιγ) puts the installation or operation of an electricity storage installation on the list of activities requiring a CERA licence, and excepts storage installations operating exclusively for own use. Section 25(1) treats storage the same way as generation for the purposes of the other consents, and section 30(2)(ζ) requires CERA, when deciding on new generating capacity, to weigh the alternatives to building it, naming demand response and energy storage among them.
CERA refused my application. What can I do?
Section 31(1) requires the refusal to be notified in writing with reasons that are objective, fair, well-founded and substantiated, so the first step is to read what those reasons actually say. Section 31(2) gives a right of recourse to the Administrative Court under Article 146 of the Constitution and section 20 of Law 129(I)/2021. The deadline runs from the decision reaching you, so send us the letter and the date you received it before anything else.
Can a licence be extended if the project is running late?
Section 32(1) makes a licence or exemption subject to amendment, suspension, revocation, termination, transfer or extension under CERA's Regulations. Section 32(2)(a) sets what an extension for a generating station or a storage installation requires: a request with the documents justifying it and evidencing the reasons for the delay, satisfaction that the holder's conduct supports an intention to implement, satisfaction that the holder has the technical, economic and financial capacity to do so, and that the applicant has approached the single point of contact. An extension is a reasoned decision, not a formality.
How quickly can a customer change electricity supplier?
Section 119(1)(a) requires the switch to be carried out within the shortest possible period and at most three weeks from the date of the request. Section 119(1)(b) provides that from January 2026 the technical switching process takes up to 24 hours and is possible on any working day. Section 119(2) requires the right to be given without discrimination as to cost, effort or time, and section 119(3) entitles household customers to take part in collective switching schemes.
Can a supplier change a fixed-price contract during its term?
No. Section 118(1)(b) requires suppliers to offer every final customer a fixed-term fixed-price supply contract of at least one year, and a proviso states that suppliers do not unilaterally amend the terms and conditions of such contracts and do not terminate them before they expire. A further proviso preserves the customer's participation in demand response and energy sharing, so a fixed price is not a reason to be excluded from either.
Can I hold more than one supply contract at once?
Yes. Section 116(b) gives customers the right to conclude more than one electricity supply contract or energy sharing agreement at the same time, and for that purpose to have more than one metering and billing point covered by the single connection point for their installations, where the smart metering systems developed under section 125 make it technically possible.
What does a breach carry?
Section 133(1) carries up to three years' imprisonment or a fine of up to EUR 90,000, or both, for breaching a condition of a licence, exemption or Order, breaching a regulatory decision of CERA, discriminating between system users, failing to supply information CERA or the Minister requires, obstructing an authorised officer, or knowingly or negligently making a false or misleading statement to one. Section 133(2)(a) carries up to five years or a fine of up to EUR 350,000, or both, for a breach of Article 3 of Regulation (EU) 1227/2011, which prohibits a person holding inside information about a wholesale energy product from dealing in it, from disclosing it outside the normal course of their employment, profession or duties, and from recommending or inducing another to deal on the basis of it.
What is the right order to assemble a solar project?
Land rights, then licensing and the planning and environmental approvals, then grid connection, then contracting the output. Projects rarely fail on the technology. They fail because land rights were taken before the grid position was known, or because a licence condition made an already signed contract impossible to perform. The sequence is the strategy.
Do you file the licence applications themselves?
We work at the contract level: land and lease arrangements, installation and connection agreements, power purchase agreements, project financing, and the disputes that follow. Where a matter is a technical regulatory filing, we say so, help you frame the question, and work alongside whoever you appoint. Knowing what you are buying before you instruct us matters more here than in most work.
Energy and the projects behind it
Every page we hold on licensing, connecting and contracting for energy projects in Cyprus.
Written on this subject4
Energy Projects in Cyprus: Licensing, Grid Connection and Contracts
How energy projects in Cyprus are regulated: who licenses them, why grid connection decides viability, and what a power purchase agreement has to settle.
Developing a Solar Project in Cyprus: The Legal Sequence
The legal sequence behind a Cyprus solar project: securing land rights, grid connection, planning permission and licensing, and the order that matters.
Installing Electric Vehicle Charging Points in Cyprus: The Legal Questions
What has to be settled before a charging point is installed in Cyprus: who owns the space and cabling, whose consent is needed, and who is liable if it fails.
Solar Self-Consumption in Cyprus: Where the Rules Are Hiding
The Cyprus self-consumption framework in Regulatory Decisions 02/2024 and 01/2025: why joint self-consumers must share a building, and the zero injection right.
Where this sits in the practice3
Planning Permits and Objections in Cyprus
Planning permission and building permits in Cyprus: the two-permit system, hierarchical recourses and their deadlines, and a neighbour's illegal works.
Construction
Building contracts, permits and project set-up in Cyprus, and disputes over defects, delay, variations and unpaid certificates, for developers and contractors.
Public & Administrative
Challenging a decision of a Cyprus public authority: the recourse to the Administrative Court under Article 146, and what counts as an executory decision.
Related practice areas: Public & Administrative and Corporate & Commercial.