The Cabinet decided to install three new permanent desalination plants during today’s meeting.
According to a statement from the Ministry of Agriculture, “as part of efforts to address water scarcity, the Cabinet has, since 2024, adopted a series of decisions to strengthen the water balance and ensure water supply. Based on the progress of project implementation and a reassessment of water needs, during today’s session it updated the plan regarding desalination projects.”
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As it notes, these decisions are part of a broader, long-term plan aimed at significantly strengthening the country’s water security and gradually reducing the water supply’s dependence on rainfall and reservoir reserves.
In this context, it is added, the construction of three new Permanent Desalination Plants was approved: one in Dekelia, with a capacity of 80,000 cubic meters per day, 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 necessary approvals and permits are secured.
“The three new plants will be developed in parallel with the new Permanent Desalination Plant in East Limassol, with a capacity of 60,000 cubic meters per day, 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, “as part of the reassessment of projects that had been planned as emergency measures to address the water shortage, it was decided to cancel the Mobile Desalination Unit in Ayia Napa, which will be replaced in the plan by the new Permanent Desalination Unit in Ayia Thekla. It was also decided to postpone the Floating Desalination Plant in Germasogeia, the necessity of which will be reevaluated at a later date, based on water needs, water reserves, and economic costs.”
At the same time, “it was decided to move forward with the implementation of the Six-Year Desalination Plan for the period 2025–2031, as well as, in principle, to advance the implementation of the Long-Term Desalination Plan to meet the country’s water supply needs through 2050.”
As part of its long-term planning, the Water Development Department is also proceeding with a process to prepare a Strategic Feasibility Study for Desalination Projects, as noted, which will examine, “as a baseline scenario, the possibility of meeting 100% of the country’s water supply needs with desalinated water. Based on the study’s conclusions, final decisions will be made regarding the implementation of the Long-Term Plan.”
These decisions mark yet another significant step toward strengthening Cyprus’s water security and creating a safer, resilient, and reliable water system, so that the water supply to citizens depends to a significantly lesser extent on weather conditions, the announcement concludes.
