The Kouklia desalination plant, the “most modern and efficient plant in Cyprus,” has been restored and returned to full operation, according to the Director General of the Ministry of Agriculture, Andreas Grigoriou. With the full restoration and operation of the plant, “the smoother water supply of the Paphos district is ensured, enhancing water sufficiency,” he said.
Mr. Grigoriou visited the unit today, Wednesday, accompanied by the President of the Paphos Regional Development Authority, Charalambos Pittokopitis, the CEO of the Karamontanis Group, which undertook the project, Stavros Karamontanis, and officials.
"We are pleased to receive today the reopening of the desalination plant in Kouklia with a supply of 15.000 cubic meters of water per day," said Mr. Grigoriou, adding that "it is a very positive development, which strengthens the water balance in the Paphos District with the aim of not making cuts, as was our initial plan at the beginning of the year."
He then recalled that when this unit was destroyed, they had said that their effort and goal was to prevent cuts from being made in the Paphos District.
This, he noted, "we have achieved and in addition we are now working with the aim of ensuring that there are no cuts even in 2026, along with other actions planned by the Ministry of Agriculture and the WDD."
On this occasion, the DG of the Ministry of Agriculture congratulated the company, which, as he said, responded adequately and reliably within 10 months to fully restore the unit and to be able today to give this "positive message".
As is known, he continued, we are going through a drought period for the 3rd year. It was a very difficult year, however, “we are also working for 2026 for the worst-case scenario,” he added. “We expect that based on the statistics, 2026 will be a better year, but at least for water supply purposes, we are working for the whole of Cyprus so that there are no cuts or to limit the extent of the problem,” he said.
Asked how many units are operating in the Paphos District and what quantities they produce daily, Mr. Grigoriou replied that today the daily production amounted to 15.000 cubic meters per day, which is the conventional capacity of the desalination unit in Kouklia.
He then continued, they receive 2.000 cubic meters of water daily from the unit that is under construction in Kissonerga and they expect, as he said, to have 10.000 cubic meters of water by the end of October.
In total, we will have before the end of 2025, 27.000 cubic meters of water per day which will be used for water supply purposes, he concluded.
For his part, the President of the Paphos Water Authority, Charalambos Pittokopitis, stated that the full reopening of the desalination plant in Kouklia, which was destroyed by fire last December, is a very positive development that enables the Paphos District Local Government Organization to manage the water supply of the city and the district of Paphos with adequacy and reliability.
He then expressed his warm congratulations and thanks to the Karamontanis Group and the Group's CEO for the "reliability and competence" they have demonstrated throughout these months.
He also congratulated the Ministry of Agriculture, its Director General Andreas Grigoriou and the District Engineer of the Paphos WDD, Haris Kasioulis, and his staff, for their tireless efforts, as he said, for this "happy result" which a few months ago "seemed like a utopia."
We are moving forward, continued Mr. Pittokopitis, and the latest announcement of the President at the recent provincial meeting in Paphos, saying that consultations with the Karamontanis group are already at an advanced stage so that the capacity of the unit here in Kouklia by next summer can be increased to 25.000 cubic meters of water per day and "the declaration that we have resolved the water issue in the Paphos province can become a reality."
Moreover, in his statements, the CEO of the Karamontani Group expressed his satisfaction that the factory was fully reopened, adding that in the last 10 months it has been "a feat".
Mr. Karamontanis said that this project is an example of good cooperation between the public and private sectors.
Source: KYPE
