Lost in the national labyrinths of bureaucracy: The case of renewable energy governance in Cyprus

Abstract

In July 2011, Cyprus experienced an abrupt disruption of power supply as a result of an explosion that happened near the biggest conventional power station of the island, which destroyed about 60 % of the its power generating capacity. This was a major drawback for the Cypriot economy that could turn into an opportunity to restructure Cyprus's energy mix towards a more sustainable one by further promoting renewable energy sources. However, due to the time-consuming licensing procedures which exists in Cyprus nothing has materialised. This chapter searches for the reasons for this situation and examines the potential of the single stop principle for national renewable energy governance. Within this context, a simple numerical model is considered; what-if scenarios employing the single stop rationale by means of time and cost savings are quantified and examined, and specific suggestions for the improvement of the licensing procedures are performed. © Springer-Verlag London 2013.