Twice as much water from Aliakmonas River in 2024

A water plant providing twice the amount of treated water from Aliakmonas is expected to give in the fall of 2024 the contract for the construction of the extension of the Thessaloniki Water Treatment Facility (WTP), which was signed today in the main building of WTP between EYATH S.A., of EYATH Pagion and Aktor ATE-Elektor S.A.

With the construction of the extension, the facility’s capacity is expected to increase from the current 150,000 m3 per day to 300,000 m3 per day, while the average daily amount of water available from all the aqueducts of our city will reach approximately 420,000 m3. This fact, combined with parallel investment actions, will ensure water sufficiency for Thessaloniki, giving our water supply system the ability to cope with periods of water shortage or any failures. The construction of the project will also allow the further expansion of EYATH’s area of ​​responsibility, by strengthening areas that are currently supplied with low-quality water.

“By signing this contract, we are proving with actions that our priority is to improve the daily life of our fellow citizens. With the completion of the project, the volume of water entering the water supply network from Aliakmonas will be doubled. The capabilities of the aqueducts will increase. Adequacy of water will be ensured. It will be possible to connect other areas of the Regional Unity of Thessaloniki to the EYATH network and to have clean water running in the houses”, pointed out the Deputy Minister of the Interior, responsible for Macedonia-Thrace issues and supervising EYATH, Stavros Kalafatis.

“From the first moment when the request was submitted for the financing of the expansion of the Water Treatment Facility by EYATH and the increase of its capacity, in order to serve new areas in the future, the Region made sure to secure all the necessary resources, in order for this a task of the utmost importance to be put into practice. Thessaloniki will now be prepared for possible water shortages, while EYATH will be able to cover the current and future needs of our fellow citizens for clean, quality drinking water. A constant goal of the administration of Apostolos Tzitzikostas all these years is to provide solutions to the everyday issues of the citizens and to improve the quality of life and the standard of living, with thousands of infrastructure projects and actions, making our vision for the Region of Central Macedonia of 2030 a reality, a modern, smart, ‘green’ and human Region,” said the Deputy Regional Governor for Finance and Planning, Athina Aidona.

“EYATH operates steadily with the awareness that it is an organization and a business that manages a common good of the utmost importance for life and the economy. In this context, we operate in terms of business sustainability and corporate responsibility, leaving a positive mark on the society of Thessaloniki and the environment of our wider region, especially in conditions of climate and energy crisis, keeping in mind the safety of our water ecosystems. The project, the contract of which is signed today, serves the triple objective of ensuring sufficient quantities of water for Thessaloniki, the rational management of the water resource and the sustainable development of our company in the coming years”, pointed out the president of EYATH SA. , Agis Papadopoulos.

The managing director of EYATH, Anthimos Amanatidis, pointed out that “this large infrastructure project serves our strategic goal of providing holistic water supply and sewerage services in the wider region. It is an investment with a growth sign for the company, which will increase our turnover, as it will allow us to provide access to excellent quality water and to new areas.” “Already, we have reached agreements to strengthen the municipalities of Pylaia – Chortiatis, Thermaikos and Oreokastro. The additional amount of water that we will secure with this project is enough to supply up to 500,000 inhabitants”, concluded Mr. Amanatidis. The president of the latter, Stathis Avramidis, praised the perfect cooperation between EYATH and EYATH Pagion, pointing out “the importance of large infrastructure projects like this for the society of Thessaloniki and the wider region”.

The contract, among other things, includes the construction of new units and the installation of the required electromechanical equipment, interconnection of the new units with the existing ones, installation of new electromechanical equipment in existing units, works to complete the entry-exit functions in the facility, installation of a new automatic recording, monitoring system and automatic operation of the units, road construction, planting and landscaping projects.

The trial operation of the new installation will last 4 months and its efficient operation 6 months, during which the treated water will now be given for consumption. The project budget is €21.7 million (without VAT) and is financed by European funds of the Central Macedonia Region. The owner of the project is EYATH Pagion, with EYATH as the implementing body and “AKTOR ATE – ILEKTOR S.A.” as the sponsoring consortium. – CONSTRUCTION OF EDUCATION – PHASE A2″.

The Water Treatment Plant of Thessaloniki (WTP) is located 2 kilometers north of BIPE-TH. The project, with a budget of €20 million, was entirely financed by the Public Investment Program – through the Cohesion Fund of the EU – from the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development and was completed at the end of 2002. The trial and the 18-month efficient operation of the facility were completed in 2005, at which time it was normally transferred to EYATH S.A. In the refinery, an advanced multi-stage cleaning process is applied, which ensures high quality for the produced water. Clean drinking water is then distributed to the Industrial Area of ​​Thessaloniki and, through the Ionia pumping station and 36 km long pipelines, to all water supply reservoirs mainly in the western and eastern sector of Thessaloniki.

Picture 1, from the left, A. Aidona, G. Margiolos of AKTOR ATE, S. Kalafatis, A. Papadopoulos, A. Amanatidis and S. Avramidis