Cyprus tightens grip on asphalt plants with unified emissions framework

Economy environmentTop News Cyprus tightens grip on asphalt plants with unified emissions framework Asphalt Plant Relevant News Cyprus tightens grip on asphalt plants with unified emissions framework 22 June 2026 Blocked referrals, missing drugs and a stalled police probe: what GeSY patients complained about last month 22 June 2026 Antonis Klapsis: Nicosia, Athens need strong ties with Tel Aviv but also open channels with the Arab world 22 June 2026 Angelos Nicolaou 22 June 2026 FacebookXWhatsAppEmailPrintViber Cyprus’s asphalt concrete sector is moving from years of regulatory uncertainty to a strict, unified framework of environmental controls and legal compliance, with gaseous emissions oversight now non-negotiable under both European and national legislation. The Department of Environment has overhauled the framework governing all eight existing plants on the island, pushing through legislative amendments between 2024 and 2026 to resolve longstanding licensing difficulties for facilities built before stricter rules came into force. The amendments clarify the status of existing installations, simplify the process for issuing Gaseous Waste Emission Permits (ΑΕΑΑ) without lowering environmental standards, and restrict continued operation to facilities that meet basic planning requirements. Four of the eight existing plants obtained their ΑΕΑΑ in January 2026: the three Vasa Kellakiou facilities — Zemco Constructions Ltd, Araco Construction Cy Ltd, and Pepsis Asphalt Ltd — and Skyramont Quarries Ltd in Parekklisia. A fifth permit, for the Marathounta plant serving Paphos district and operated by Charalambides S. Petros & Brothers, is expected by September 2026. Cyfield Asphalt Co Ltd in Parekklisia, which lacks planning permission and has not submitted an environmental impact study, is working towards full regularisation. The Geri and Tseri plants — Nemesis Asphalt Ltd and Promitheas Asphalt Ltd — remain shut under a Supreme Court prohibition order dating from 10 February 2022, pending ongoing court proceedings. Mixed outcomes for new applications Of six new applications assessed by the Environmental Authority, two were rejected outright, two remain under review, one has received approval but is frozen by court proceedings, and one has a positive environmental opinion but is awaiting a planning permit. Promitheas Asphalt’s proposed Mitsero plant — put forward as part of the relocation of the sealed Tseri facilities — received both environmental approval and a planning permit, but construction remains on hold pending court proceedings. A second Promitheas Asphalt application, for a Kalavasos site also linked to the Tseri relocation, has secured a positive environmental opinion, with a planning permit from the Larnaca Environment Office still outstanding. Iacovou Asphalt Ltd’s Koshi application is awaiting an environmental opinion. Cyfield Asphalt Ltd’s Parekklisia application remains at the environmental assessment stage. Both Iacovou Asphalt Ltd and Cyfield Asphalt Ltd had separate applications for Kalavasos sites rejected on environmental and land-use grounds. Full inspection sweep planned for 2026 The Department of Environment has scheduled routine and unannounced on-site inspections across all existing plants this year, including on-site pollution measurements. Where violations are found, operators will be required to take immediate corrective action or face prohibition orders. Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment Minister Maria Panayiotou said the 2024-2026 period had established “a stricter, more transparent and more effective system of environmental governance, in which environmental protection, public health and legality are non-negotiable priorities,” adding that the goal was for all facilities to operate “under the same rules, the same obligations and the same level of environmental accountability.” Plants that operated for years without an emission permit are now required to obtain one retroactively. To do so, operators must demonstrate they have the appropriate equipment and are applying Best Available Techniques for pollution prevention, with no exceedances of air quality limit values permitted. 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