For the first time, Greece’s Andros, Kea, and Meganisi will install desalination units, strengthening access to drinking water as drought continues to strain supplies in parts of the country.
The new facilities will contribute substantial capacity, with Andros and Meganisi producing 158,503 gallons per day and Kea adding 52,834 gallons daily. Meganisi is moving ahead with the project while the island remains under emergency status due to water shortages.
$88.5 million national plan targets water security
Greece is rolling out the new investments as part of a broader national effort to reinforce water resilience. The Ministry of Environment and Energy approved 42 projects aimed at building, expanding, and modernizing water supply infrastructure in response to drought-related pressures.
The program totals €75.5 million ($88.5 million), funded through the Ministry’s 2025 Sectoral Development Program, with approvals signed by Environment Minister Stavros Papastavrou.
Greece funds desalination projects on fifteen other islands
Alongside the first-time installations on Andros, Kea, and Meganisi, fifteen other islands across the Aegean and Ionian Seas will receive funding to boost water infrastructure and increase potable water production. In the Cyclades, the program covers Kythnos, Naxos, Amorgos, and Folegandros.
In the Dodecanese, this includes Karpathos, Leros, and Patmos, while the North Aegean projects target Chios and Fournoi. Greece will also support work on Alonnisos in the Sporades, Spetses and Poros in the Saronic Gulf, and Paxoi, Ithaca, and Northern Corfu in the Ionian Sea.
Desalination projects, drilling, and new water sources across Greece
The funding package also extends beyond the islands, supporting projects that combine desalination facilities, new drilling works, and initiatives that improve how communities access and manage existing water sources. In the Peloponnese, Greece will support desalination projects in Ermionida, Velo–Vochas, and West Mani.
The program will also finance drilling works in Livadia and in four municipalities on Crete: Hersonissos, Sitia, Ierapetra, and Phaistos. In addition, the Municipality of Volos will move forward with projects designed to make better use of local water sources.
Water network upgrades and other projects
Beyond increasing water production, the plan also targets the performance of water distribution networks. Greece will upgrade infrastructure in various areas, including on Hydra, Serres, Kymi, Aktion, Pylaia, and Central Corfu, alongside additional locations across the country.
The Ministry had already included many of these targeted improvements in a call issued last March, but the projects had not yet moved into tendering or contracting. The new approvals aim to accelerate implementation and help communities move from planning to delivery.
