Acceleration of works in Acheloos river basin

With the fast track negotiation process, and without prior publication, the project concerning the constructions for the security of the existing unfinished infrastructure to the diversion projects of Acheloos as well as the implementation of a monitoring plan for the safety of the unfinished projects of the Sykia Dam was contracted out. The specific contract, with a budget of 1.8 million euros, is included in the five million euro project for maintenance and restoration, for reasons of protection of the area of ​​the Acheloos still unfinished projects .

In order to speed up the procedures, the Ministry of Infrastructure invoked two decisions of 2020 for the declaration of a state of emergency of the municipalities of Argithea and Mouzaki Karditsa by the General Secretariat of Civil Protection and the Region of Thessaly respectively, due to heavy rains and floods in 6 and 7 July 2020. As typically stated in a decision of the Ministry of Infrastructure, “due to an urgent need due to events unforeseen for the contracting authority, it is not possible to meet the deadlines provided for open, closed or competitive negotiated procedures”.

Thus, seven contractors were invited, who meet the necessary technical and financial criteria, of which five finally submitted bids (with discount rates from 2% to 3%). “Tyrnavos Quarries SA” emerged as the preferred bidder, who by decision of the Minister Mr. Costas Karamanlis undertook the execution of the works. The contractor is estimated to be installed in the area (Drakotripa, Agorasia and Sykia) in April, in order to start the implementation of the projects.

Apart from the dam in Sykia, the procedures for the Mesochora Hydroelectric Project of PPC in Acheloos are also progressing. The issue was “stuck” after the cancellation by the Council of State of the Decision of Approval of Environmental Conditions of 2017. Last April (28-4-2021) a new environmental impact study was submitted to the Environmental Licensing Directorate of the Ministry of Environment and Energy, which was put up for public consultation and finally approved. According to the plan of the PPC, if there are no new court engagements, the project will be completed in 2024.

The hydroelectric project of Mesochora is 90% complete, with all the equipment necessary for the production of electricity installed, with a supply tunnel 5 km long and a constructed dam of 135 meters and an artificial lake of 350 million cubic meters. The waterproofing membrane of the dam and the expropriations of the settlement remain. This is an investment of 500 million euros at current prices, has a capacity of 160 MW for the production on an annual basis of 380 gigawatt hours (GWh) of electricity. The project, which had been (almost) completed since 2001, was never operational because it was part of the environmental conditions of the diversion project, which was constantly canceled at the Council of State (seven times). For each year that remains out of operation, it is estimated that PPC misses out on revenues of about 25 million euros, which it would receive from the sale of energy produced.