PPPs: Over 2 billion euros worth of green projects for water

A new generation of green and sustainable projects worth over 2 billion euros is in the pipeline. Water supply, irrigation, flood control and “smart” water resource management are high on the agenda. The widespread need to reduce the effects of climate change has brought them to the forefront for the first time. Extreme phenomena that are observed more and more frequenly, floods, catastrophic fires, high temperatures, intense drought, catalytically affect the water cycle.

With a budget approaching 1.2 billion euros, the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport has similar projects on its list. Utilizing the Pubic-Private-Partnership tool, it is proceeding to the construction of three dams. The projects that are expected to be approved by the competent inter-ministerial committee have a total budget of 930 million euros. The goal is for the competitions to go public by the end of the year.

These concern the Enipeas Farsala dam, whose main purpose is to irrigate areas of about 10,000 hectares, while it will also provide water supply to Farsala and a number of other settlements in the area, covering the needs of 10,000 inhabitants. It will also ensure the flood protection of the areas downstream of the dam. The budget amounts to 315 million euros.

Respectively, the Tavronitis dam will serve mainly irrigation purposes, solving a decades-old issue for the irrigation of high-yield agricultural areas, while it will also contribute to the flood protection of the adjacent areas. The project has a budget of 365 million euros. Finally, the PPP for the Corfu water dam, amounting to 250 million euros, concerns a set of projects (water saving, water quality improvement projects and water transfer projects), which will be constructed in northern, central and southern Corfu to supply water to the island.

New auctions of 240 million in Eastern Attica by EYDAP Attica water and sewage authority

As part of its investment program for Eastern Attica, totaling 800 million euros, EYDAP will build within the next decade 3 Sewage Treatment Centers and 1,300 km of new sewerage network that will cover the entire arch of Eastern Attica. To meet the needs of 400,000 inhabitants of the region from the Saronic to Oropos, the company has launched an investment program of 800 million euros, which corresponds to 50% of the investments it will make in the coming years.

In the last two years, as stated by the Deputy CEO of EYDAP, Mr. Anastasios Tosios at the recent 5th Conference on Infrastructure and Transport, almost projects worth 145 million have been signed. Work has already begun in Glyka Nera, Paiania, Pallini, Rafina and Pikermi and are expanding. Next year, additional projects worth 240 million euros will be auctioned in the arch of Eastern Attica.

At the same time, the company must dash to replace the obsolete water supply networks. It is characteristic that for the 14,000 km of the network, the average age is about 60 years, when the European average is 38 years.

In the plan of the digital transformation of EYDAP, the so-called smart network has been included in the five-year horizon, which starts from smart management, ie better monitoring in the field. The upgrade of the company’s electronic systems, the digitization of the various zones of the network for the more efficient management of water pressure and “smart” meters will contribute to this.

The smart meter strategy, completed two months ago, utilizing data from pilot projects in Chalandri and Paleo Faliro, envisions that, in the first phase, data collection will be done locally through mains. In the second phase, the company has signed a memorandum of cooperation with Hellenic Electricity Distribution Network Operator-HEDNO, in order to manage data through smart electricity meters when they are installed.

Respectively, in the field of sewerage, the visual control is already utilized and improved for the fast detection and the immediate restoration of faults, while systems are also sought for the better control of sewage that enters the network. This will reduce the cost of energy management and raw materials.

Double capacity, photovoltaic and biogas for EYATH-Thessaloniki Water and Sewage Authority

EYATH also has major projects in progress, which with the construction of the new water refinery (with a budget of 25 million euros) will double the water supply capacity of the city of Thessaloniki. This will increase the company’s ability to distribute water in new areas by 80%. After a delay of one year due to juridical appeals, the project is currently being signed. Investments are also being made to rehabilitate existing large reservoirs in order to reduce water losses. These have, to date, helped reduce losses from 38% to 28%, while ensuring a reduction in the company’s energy consumption by 5%.

In addition, according to the vice president of EYATH, Mr. Grigoris Penelis, about 41 million euros will be allocated for the upgrade of the Biological Treatment Plant of Thessaloniki. The installation will be completely modernized with state-of-the-art systems and with the possibility of producing energy both from photovoltaics through netmetering, and using biogas produced by the treatment plant. This has remained unused until today, while the machines purchased twenty years ago were never worked. Today, they have been modified and the system has been put into trial operation.

Meanwhile, the first phase of the repair of the Arabissos pipeline has been completed, while it was in operation, while the inspections continue and where necessary, interventions are made.

Investments are also planned in new large reservoirs, as well as the connection of new areas both in the west and in the north, including Filiro, where the network will be completed before the new pediatric hospital opens its doors. At the same time, the expansion of the quantities in Thermi and in the municipality of Thermaikos is being examined, as well as in areas that are still watered by private concerns, such as Halkidiki.