EYDAP planning investments of 1.85 billion euros
Greece’s water utility EYDAP is planning investments amounting to 1.85 billion euros over the next decade, the company’s CEO Haris Sachinis, said on Friday.
The investment program mainly concerns large-scale sewage works in Eastern Attica but also includes water-supply projects (installation of new water lines, work on water supply networks, extensions, improvements and replacements) and improvements in the sewerage network.
Sachinis said a huge investment program with a budget of 900 million euros is underway in Eastern Attica, of which 90% is funded by the European Union. Of the projects involved, 52% are in progress while the rest are maturing. The transformation projects, smart grid and meters, energy projects, new financial services and supply chain systems account for 350 million euros, while replacement of the water supply network to reduce leaks amounts to 400 million euros, and drainage projects account for 200 million euros.
Regarding a plan to replace old meters, so far 80,000 water meters have been installed in Faliro and Chalandri, while a pilot programme in collaboration with HEDNO starts on Friday, which will involve the installation of smart water meters in the municipalities of Palaio Faliro and Penteli.
“We have agreed upon the technology, which will be tested since the total investment is large,” Sachinis said, adding that there will be an image of each leak in real time without workers being required to even open a manhole cover. Based on the plan, 2.5 million water meters will be installed over 10 years, which means that about 250,000 a year, or about 1,000 a day, will have to be replaced.
In a question about new tariffs, Sachinis said that “the picture for the next day of water tariffs, given the new regulatory framework, is expected to become clear within the next six months.”
He added that the company has managed to absorb the shocks of the energy crisis, keeping tariffs stable.
[AMNA]
