The island of Ai Stratis in the northeastern Aegean, best known as a place of exile in the past for thousands of Greece’s political dissidents, is set to become the country’s first island powered exclusively by green energy, Development Minister Costis Hatzidakis said yesterday.

The island, which has some 250 permanent residents, was chosen for the project because of its “manageable” energy requirements of 1,500 megawatt-hours per year, Hatzidakis said. The 10-million-euro project, which will depend on solar, wind energy and biomass fuel production, and is due to begin next year follows similar initiatives in Australia, Denmark and Norway.

Mayors on the islands of Nisyros and Tilos have reportedly also expressed an interest in implementing similar projects to power their communities.