Cyprus will begin building the island’s first wind farm after finance was secured for the £145m project.

The 82MW farm at Orites, near Paphos in the south west of Cyprus, is scheduled for completion in September 2010.

Cyprus-based energy company DK Windsupply is working with London-based Platina Partners to develop the project.

The European Union has told the Greek Cypriot controlled Southern part of the island to produce 13% of energy from renewables by 2020. The turbines are expected to deliver enough energy for around 25,000 homes.

Currently only 2% of energy is from renewable sources.

The wind farm will be the biggest in the Eastern Mediterranean once completed and could save nearly 100,000 tons of CO2 a year.