Residents of the first phase of the “Adonis” housing project left a meeting with Electricity Authority of Cyprus (EAC) representatives at Polemidia Municipal Hall without resolution on Friday, saying the timelines offered for the removal of high-voltage pylons in Pano Polemidia fall short of assurances they say were given by the President of the Republic.
EAC representatives used maps and survey plans to explain the process and presented timetables that include, as a temporary measure, the relocation of the pylon closest to homes, with the eventual undergrounding of the transmission line at a later stage. They said full implementation requires the cooperation of other competent authorities and the registration of a new road.
Resident Marina Theodorou said the meeting produced no satisfactory outcome. “We had a meeting today at Polemidia Municipal Hall. We heard EAC’s views and there was an exchange of opinions, but we are leaving without being pleased or satisfied,” she said.
Theodorou said residents were told the pylon standing just 29 metres from their homes would be moved within approximately six months, and that the new pylons represent an interim design that would be removed in five to six years. “We believe this timeline will be extended,” she said.
She said the timelines were inconsistent with what had been discussed with the President. “We do not know who the President communicated with to give us assurances that the pylons would be removed. It was certainly never mentioned to us that this would happen in five or six years,” she said. “By then our children will have grown up. We cannot wait for health problems to emerge from exposure to electromagnetic fields before measures are taken.”
Theodorou said residents’ next step would be to seek a new meeting with the President.
EAC spokeswoman Christina Papadopoulou said the final plan provides for the relocation of the transmission line section to a point approximately 1.5 kilometres further north from its current position, which she said is very close to homes.
“As a temporary solution and for the benefit of residents, EAC will proceed with the relocation of part of the existing line that passes over their homes. The line will be moved approximately 80 metres further away as a first stage, as there are delays related to the opening of a specific road and the involvement of other competent authorities,” Papadopoulou said.
She said that once the required procedures were completed, EAC would move quickly to fully remove the existing line and install the new one, a large part of which would be underground.
EAC would ask the University of Cyprus to carry out electromagnetic field measurements on both the existing and the new temporary line, Papadopoulou said. “Although the relocation may seem small, measurements show a significant difference in electromagnetic field levels,” she said.
“Our goal is the protection of residents of the area. The first section of the line is expected to be removed in early next year, while the full removal of this section is scheduled for September 2027,” Papadopoulou said.