The signature of the contract for the project “Transfer and distribution of water from the river Nestos in its plain Xanthi for irrigation purposes’, which will be implemented as a project PPPIncluded in Water 2.0, the Ministry of National Economy and Finance and Rural Development and Food announced today (11.8.2025).
Specifically, the 3rd PPP contract of the Water 2.0 program was signed by the Minister of Rural Development and Food, Costas Tsiaras and Deputy Minister of National Economy and Finance, Nikos Papathanassis. The irrigation project in the Plain of Xanthi, with a budget of 220.500,000 euros (plus VAT), with a financial contribution from the Recovery and Rules of EUR 51 million, will be executed by GEK TERNA SA.
It is the third in a series of PPP projects and the largest of the 2.0 water program signed. The project includes the preparation of all the required studies, as well as the construction, funding, maintenance and operation of water expansion projects by the Nestos River (Archers Dam) and its disposal in the eastern plain of Xanthi, which presents the most serious problems in Greece for approximately 56 thousand needs.
Work characteristics
The duration of the Partnership Convention is twenty -five years including the construction time of the project. In summary, the subject of the partnership contract concerns the implementation of the following infrastructure:
(A) The main water transport projects of the eastern Plain of Xanthi (head projects), including:
- Improvement interventions and upgrades of archers
- Repair of the investment of the existing eastern accessory canal from its head (downstream of archers)
- New trapezoidal cross -crossing canal, variable supply, including its accompanying technical works of operation
- Two pumping stations and two rebuilding tanks
(B) The water transport and distribution projects of the A2 area of the Eastern plain of Xanthi in the five farmland, fragrance – Avdron – needle – Mandra – Pezoulas, including:
- Central Water Transfer and Distribution Pipelines, five pumping stations and seven rebuilding tanks
- Abdu – Abdu – Needle – Mandra – Pezoula Networks Networks
(C) Installation of smart irrigation systems (telemetry – telemetry systems, electronic wireless communication monitoring devices, meteorological stations, quality of measurement systems, etc.).
The first section of the project concerns the implementation of the main water transfer projects of the Eastern Plain of Xanthi (head projects) and will be delivered comprehensive and functional in 18 months, while the entire project will be completed 36 months after the signing of the Contracting Contract.
With all the above interventions of the responsibility of the General Secretariat for Union Resources and Infrastructure of the Ministry of Education, in cooperation with the PPP unit of the Ministry of National Economy and Finance, the competitiveness of the agricultural sector and mitigating the impact of climate change is achieved.