Water and Sustainability at the 89th TIF

The management of EYATH gave a dynamic “presence” to the panels organized within the framework of the 89th TIF.

The CEO of EYATH, Anthimos Amanatidis, at the conference organized by the newspaper “Imerisiia” in collaboration with OPEN TV and “Ethnos” in Thessaloniki, entitled “Greece 2030: sustainable development in times of crisis”, spoke about the risk of water scarcity, the need for strategic management of water resources and investments in infrastructure. “Ensuring a sustainable future in water supply and sanitation is our strategic goal and our obligation to our fellow citizens. Our actions therefore move along two axes: (a) the modernization of our infrastructure for the optimal management of the entire water cycle and (b) the increase in the available water resource”, Mr. Amanatidis pointed out, saying regarding the first issue that already “at the end of September we are starting the installation of a total of 200,000 smart water meters in the Thessaloniki Urban Complex, a project of key importance for our digital transformation”. He also referred to the installation of 50,000 precision water meters and the continuation of the repair of the Aravissos pipeline. In relation to the availability of the resource, as he said, the major investment of 21.7 million euros has begun to double the capacity of the Thessaloniki Water Treatment Plant (TWTP) in Nea Ionia, a project that will add an additional 150,000 cubic meters of water per day to the already available. “These quantities will allow us to expand to new areas, such as Mygdonia, the Municipality of Thermaikos, the Municipality of Pylea-Chortiatis and Thermi,” he added, recalling that individual infrastructure projects are being implemented in parallel, necessary for the same purpose of expansion. At the same time, he announced developments around the placement of 5% of EYATH shares, in order to comply with the stock exchange requirement of 25%, and pointed out that water cannot be treated as a free good, “we must acquire education and realize the difference between a public good and a free good,” as he said.

From the podium of the ECONOMIST conference, Agis Papadopoulos, president of EYATH, highlighted with his statement the magnitude of the requirements for the energy transition, underlining that 33,000 gigawatts of RES systems are needed worldwide by 2040 to achieve the goal. “If we want to survive as a planet, we must work with RES or even nuclear energy,” he said characteristically. He emphasized that critical raw materials for these systems are produced outside Europe, the availability of which is not a secondary issue, it is the determining factor of the energy transition. The questions that arise are whether we are moving fast enough to prevent climate catastrophe, and whether we as Europe will be able to ensure that the energy transition will not lead to a new dependency. And obviously, according to him, the question of who will bear the cost also arises, warning that ultimately consumers, both individuals and businesses, will be burdened.

“We must find a balanced way of managing the transition, because our success will not be measured only based on the number of installed renewable energy sources and the reduction of carbon emissions, but by maintaining the industrial production of systems in Europe,” stressed Mr. Papadopoulos, calling for honesty in public debate and consensual solutions that will be accepted by society.

The president of EYATH also spoke from the ethnos.gr, “Η” and ΟΡΕΝ booths at the 89th TIF about the water reserves in Thessaloniki, which, as he said, are sufficient for the next 5-8 years under normal conditions. He also referred to possible expansions of EYATH to areas not currently covered by its network, noting that for years the company has initiated contacts with municipalities in order to provide them with assistance. He stressed, however, that any expansion plan requires study and planning, especially if it concerns rural areas.

According to him, EYATH has already proceeded to an analytical assessment of the risks for each of its installations, due to climate change. “We are taking actions to have the least possible impact in the event of an extreme risk. For example, we are using a new tool using artificial intelligence to manage the rainwater network, in order to reduce flooding in cases of very heavy rainfall. “With sensors we monitor the flow of rainwater and with artificial intelligence we can predict where there will be overflow, so that on the one hand, we can act preventively, and on the other hand, we can reduce our operating costs and the nuisance to the city,” said Mr. Papadopoulos. “We have been using this tool on a pilot basis successfully for a year and are now expanding it,” he concluded.