The Water Development Department (WDD) has begun accepting applications for small private desalination plants through a simplified licensing process following yesterday’s Cabinet decision, alongside a new grant scheme aimed at strengthening water security for the tourism sector.
The policy initiative allows streamlined approvals for facilities producing up to 1,500 cubic metres of water daily, targeting both potable water for hotels and non-potable supplies for agricultural operations, golf courses, water parks and similar installations.
In a parallel development, the Cabinet approved a separate grant scheme specifically for hotel developments seeking to reduce dependence on municipal water networks amid growing concerns about Cyprus’s long-term water security.
The grant scheme for small private desalination units in hotel establishments aims to provide assistance to hotel units for installing small private desalination plants, the WDD stated in its announcement.
The financial support varies according to daily production capacity, with individual hotel installations eligible for between 65,000 euros (for plants producing up to 100 cubic metres daily) and 300,000 euros (for larger facilities producing 1,001-1,500 cubic metres).
For collaborative installations serving multiple hotels, the available grants increase significantly, ranging from 95,000 euros for smaller systems to 550,000 euros for facilities approaching the maximum permitted capacity.
The initiative includes specific technical guidelines regarding water intake methods, particularly for installations in swimming areas, where authorities recommend using appropriate boreholes for seawater collection.
If existing marine structures such as breakwaters or marinas are already present, water intake can be conducted through pipelines installed on or along these structures, the WDD explained, adding that where neither option is feasible, adequately buried underwater pipelines may be permitted.
Hotels implementing desalination units for drinking water must establish and maintain water quality monitoring programmes to ensure public health standards are met, the department confirmed.
Read more:
