The Council of Ministers proceeded with an adjustment of the planning to deal with the prolonged drought and ensure water sufficiency, approving the proposal submitted by the Minister of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment.
The decisions reflect a strategic rearrangement, emphasizing on economically sustainable solutions, the protection of the water balance and long-term planning to meet the needs until 2050.
Based on the long-term desalination plan, the Water Development Department (WDD) is conducting a tender for the assignment of a strategic sustainability study, with the basic scenario of covering 100% of the country's water supply needs exclusively from desalinated water by 2050.
This study will determine the final necessity of the new projects, as well as the number of mobile units that will remain in permanent or backup operation. The total sum of all the 13 units that are either in operation, or an agreement to expand their capacity is being considered, or are in the works, will be in the order of 500,000 cubic meters / day with an annual production capacity of 164 million cubic meters of water.
The cost of producing this water is estimated at €235 million per year. Of course, this plan is expected to be clearer after the completion of the water policy review study and the strategic feasibility study of desalination projects. This grandiose plan includes the permanent desalination plants of Paphos, Episkopi, Vasilikos and Larnaca and the new permanent unit in Dhekelia. New permanent desalination plants in Agia Thekla, East Limassol and Polis Chrysochous are being considered. The new mobile desalination plants in the port of Limassol, Garylli, Episkopi and Mazotos, as well as a unit in the Akamas area, are also taken into account.
At the center of the meeting of the Council of Ministers was both the progress of the implementation of the mobile desalination units in specific locations for the specified maximum capacity and duration of operation, in order to meet the water supply needs until the completion of the permanent desalination units, which are at the planning stage.
The Council of Ministers approved the postponement of the floating unit in Germasogeia with a capacity of 20,000 cubic meters/day. The decision was taken as the relevant tender process ended up unsuccessful, while the Ministry of Finance indicated the particularly high cost of purchasing water, which is estimated at €4/m² or €3.5/m² with an underwater power cable, compared to €0.85–€1.82/m² for the rest of the desalination plants.
At the same time, the Feasibility Study showed a low Cost Benefit Index (BCR 0.18–0.23). Its necessity will be reviewed in the winter of 2026 depending on the reserves of the dams, while the onshore infrastructure will proceed normally. This is because, based on the socio-economic analysis, the project is socially and economically in the interest of society, due to its contribution to strengthening water security.
At the same time, a decision was taken yesterday to cancel the Ayia Napa mobile unit with a capacity of 15,000 cubic meters/day. It is noted that the Water Development Department, after the successful completion of an open tender, was ready to invite the successful bidder to sign the contract in February 2025. However, due to the reactions of the local authority and hoteliers in the area, it was decided to permanently cancel the tender and by extension the project and replace it with a permanent desalination plant of greater capacity in a new location.
Addressing the current water crisis
Essentially yesterday, the Council of Ministers evaluated a series of decisions to strengthen the water balance and ensure the water supply that had been taken since 2024. It then took decisions that are part of a more comprehensive, long-term plan, with the aim of significantly strengthening the country's water security and gradually reducing the dependence of the water supply on rainfall and dam reserves.
In this context, the implementation of three new permanent desalination plants in Dhekelia, with a capacity of 80,000 cubic meters, was approved. daily, in Agia Thekla, with a capacity of 30,000 cubic meters per day, and in Polis Chrysochous, with a capacity of 10,000 cubic meters per day, provided that all the required approvals and licenses will be secured.
The three new units will be promoted in parallel with the new permanent desalination plant of East Limassol, with a capacity of 60,000 cubic meters. the implementation of which has already been approved. The four new permanent desalination plants will have a total projected capacity of 180,000 cubic meters of water per day.
At the same time, it was decided to promote the implementation of the six-year desalination plan for the period 2025-2031, as well as, in principle, to promote the implementation of the long-term desalination plan to meet the country's water supply needs until 2050.
In the context of long-term planning, the Water Development Department is also proceeding with the process of preparing a Strategic Study on the Sustainability of Desalination Projects, which will examine, as a basic scenario, the possibility of serving 100% of the country's water supply needs with desalinated water. On the basis of the conclusions of the study, the final decisions will be made for the implementation of the long-term plan.
The new projects until 2031
The six-year desalination plan includes the above four units, as well as the mobile units that are either in operation or in the works for their construction and operation.
Specifically, the units in Moni 10,000 cubic meters/day are already in full production, where the extension of operation until 31/12/2029 was approved, Kissonerga (12,000 cubic meters/day), Limassol Port (10,000 cubic meters/day) and Garylli (10,000 cubic meters/day).
At the same time, the procedures are being promoted for the mobile units in Episkopi with 15,000 cubic meters/day with the goal of operating this month, Vasiliko/EAC 20,000 cubic meters/day pending the completion of a legal technical review of the WDD and EAC agreement with an estimated month of completion in March 2027 and Mazotos 40,000 cubic meters/day, where the request for suspension of the project was withdrawn after the issuance of an urban planning decree, while the process of adjudicating the appeal of the community council of Mazotos remains ongoing. Based on the planning, it is expected to operate until May 2027.
Before the summer of 2027, the above mobile desalination units are expected to be fully operational, in order to enable quantities of 142,000 cubic meters to contribute to the water balance. water. Taking into account that the existing units contribute 235,000 cubic meters. water, then the total production capacity is expected to reach 377,000 cubic meters. water.
In the context of the long-term actions, the expansion of the capacity of the existing desalination plants of Episkopi and Paphos is also being considered, as well as the extension of the existing contract in Dhekelia until the completion of the new unit.
