A mobile desalination unit with a daily capacity of 10,000 cubic metres, installed at the port of Limassol, has entered full operation, the Ministry of Agriculture announced.
The unit had previously operated on a trial basis, during which all necessary technical and quality checks were carried out and successfully completed.
According to the ministry, this is the third desalination unit to enter full operation after the desalination plant in Moni, with a capacity of approximately 15,000 cubic metres per day, which has been operating since July 2025, and the desalination plant in Kissonerga, with a capacity of 12,000 cubic metres per day, which also began operating in July 2025.
“With the addition of these new units, the number of desalination plants increases from five, which had been operating in previous years, to eight today. With the integration of the Garyllis unit, the total is expected to reach nine,” the announcement states.
Specifically, the Garyllis unit, with a capacity of 10,000 cubic metres per day, is expected to enter operation in the coming weeks following delays caused by geopolitical developments in the region.
The ministry also notes that its planning for the 2026–2027 period includes the completion of several additional desalination projects: a mobile desalination unit in Episkopi with a capacity of 15,000 cubic metres per day, a mobile unit in Vasiliko with a capacity of 20,000 cubic metres per day, a mobile unit in Mazotos with a capacity of 40,000 cubic metres per day, and a floating unit in Germasogeia with a capacity of 20,000 cubic metres per day.
These projects are expected to add a total daily capacity of 157,000 cubic metres. Combined with the daily capacity of the five existing permanent desalination plants, which amounts to 235,000 cubic metres, the total capacity of the system will increase by 66%.
The ministry recalled that the five permanent desalination plants covered approximately 70% of water supply needs served by the government water supply systems until 2023. This figure approached 75% during 2025 and has now reached 80%.
With the projects currently underway, it is estimated that by early 2027 the percentage will approach 100%, through interim projects aimed at gradually achieving full coverage of water supply needs with desalinated water, while preserving dam reserves for irrigation purposes.