The construction of the new mobile desalination plant in the community of Mazotos, with a capacity of 40,000 cubic meters per day, is on track for implementation, with the Government appearing determined to proceed with the project, regardless of the legal measures taken by the community that disagrees.
The Water Development Department emphasizes that the promotion of the project is done with accelerated, but completely legal and transparent procedures, with the sole aim of the general public interest and the immediate treatment of the intensifying problems of water scarcity, aiming to meet the water needs for the period 2027 – 2029.
The WDD took all the necessary and foreseen actions for the timely implementation of the project, recognizing its importance for meeting the water needs of the period 2027 – 2029, without in any way bypassing the obligation to secure all the required approvals and permits. The new desalination plant will contribute to the Southern Pipeline network if it becomes operational in January 2027.
In this context, the Council of Ministers yesterday made a decisive decision for the progress of the project, approving the construction of the necessary access road network to the desalination plant, which paves the way for the start of infrastructure works.
However, the implementation of this grandiose project is accompanied by a significant increase in financial costs. While the initial budget was set at €85 million, another €6.5 million is now added to the total amount, which concerns the construction of the necessary connection pipelines, underwater and onshore. At the same time, the cost is charged with an additional €265,015, an amount required for the procedures for the compulsory expropriation of the land.
The amount of €85 million. includes the total cost of the 7-year contract for the supply of desalinated water that will be concluded with the contractor for the construction-operation of the project.
The pieces that will be required for the construction of the project have been technically and altitude evaluated by the WDD, which prepared a final technical study with a private expert and are considered to be the ideal choice for the routing of an access road to the mobile desalination unit, as well as for the construction of a pumping station. In the event that all the required studies are completed and the relevant approvals are secured, the unit is expected to be commissioned within 2026 and to be fully operational in 2027.
Prior to taking the final decisions and submitting the proposal to the Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment, the WDD completed a comprehensive internal evaluation process through a multi-criteria analysis.
The evaluation covered the urban planning and environmental constraints of the area, the possibility of securing land, the technical feasibility of implementing and connecting the projects to the existing water infrastructure of the WDD, the estimated economic cost, as well as the preliminary assessment of the possible environmental impacts and ways to address them. The results of the process were incorporated into the Information Form, which was duly submitted to the Environmental Authority. The final environmental approval for the licensing of the project was issued on June 11, 2026.
For its part, the WDD clarifies that all the prescribed actions have been taken without in any way circumventing the obligation to secure all the required approvals and permits, sending a clear message that the project will proceed normally.
