Small Hydropower Plants on Sarantaporos, Aoos and Voidomatis rivers, Μarch 2026

By
Thymios Dimopoulos, GIS Specialist – Architect/MedINA
Marianna Dimopoulou, Water Policy Officer/MedINA
Irilena Linardaki, Ri-Connect Project Μanager/MedINA
Marina Makri, Local Officer, Aoos River Basin/MedINA
Fanourios-Nikolaos Sakellarakis, Freshwater Programme Coordinator/MedINA
Edited by: George Dimitropoulos, Urban-Spatial Planner & Fundraising Officer/MedINA

Following MedINA’s previous articles from March, July and November 2023, May and November 2024 and July 2025, this article examines the number of Small Hydropower Plants (SHPs) and their current licensing status, according to the available data from the Regulatory Authority for Waste, Energy, and Water (RAAEY). A detailed description of the SHP monitoring process and their licensing stages is provided in the March 2023 article.

Downward trend of SHPs in the Aoos River Basin

Over the three-year monitoring period (2023–2026) in the Aoos River Basin, a clear declining trend is recorded in the number of SHPs under different licensing stages (Graph 1). This reduction is mainly seen in projects with production licenses and in applications under evaluation. At the same time, there is no corresponding increase in projects moving into the implementation stage, reinforcing the trend of slowdown. Total capacity (installed and nominal) decreased from 42.7 MW to 39.18 MW. Furthermore, during the monitoring period, two SHPs, those in Kefalovryso and in Gorgopotamos, were submitted to public consultation in the Electronic Environmental Registry.

I. Current licensing status of SHPs in the Aoos River Basin

The total number of SHPs in the Aoos River Basin currently at different licensing stages, according to RAAEY data, is 32, marking a decrease of two applications compared to July 2025¹. Of the 32 SHPs, four are already in operation and fully licensed, one at the Yotsa stream has obtained an installation license, 23 have obtained production licenses and four are under evaluation (Graph 1 and Map 1).

Changes are observed in production licenses, which appear reduced by two. The following chart presents their status in March, July and November 2023, May and November 2024, July 2025 and March 2026.

Regarding production licenses, two new entries were identified, one at Vourbianitiko stream within the Natura site GR1320002 and another at Zouzouliotiko stream within the buffer zone of the Northern Pindos National Park, both in the Sarantaporos sub-basin. Four licenses were either terminated or revoked, two in the Aoos sub-basin and two in the Sarantaporos sub-basin, specifically one at Vourbianitiko and one at Lykorrachi stream within Natura site GR1320002. It is noted that two additional projects at Vourbianitiko stream appear to have changed the location of their water intake or discharge without changes in other characteristics (status or capacity).

II. SHPs with Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Approvals

Regarding SHPs with EIA Approval, no changes are identified compared to July 2025. One SHP at Yotsa stream, which received EIA Approval in 2024 and holds an installation license (see above), is under construction, while six more SHPs have secured EIA Approvals, meaning they are very close to obtaining an installation license. In addition, the Vourkopotamos SHP had received EIA Approval, however, following the recent dissolution of the managing company (October 2024), it no longer appears in RAAEY data.

Overall, the SHPs that have obtained EIA Approval, installation license and operation license include the four already existing SHPs in the areas of Samarina, Distrato, Vrysochori and Agia Paraskevi (Kerasovo) of Konitsa. In summary, the total number of SHPs within the Aoos River Basin that have EIA Approval (including those with installation and operation licenses) amounts to 11 (Map 2), of which five are located within the newly designated Protected Landscape and Protected Natural Formation (Table 1).

III. SHPs within the Protected Landscape and Protected Natural Formation (PLPNF)

Overall, within the area designated as PLPNF, 13 SHPs are identified, one less than in July 2025: these include one existing SHP with operation license at Agia Paraskevi (Kerasovo) of Konitsa and 12 with production licenses (Table 1).

Of the 12 SHPs with production licenses, four have obtained EIA Approval (in Amarantos, Eptachori, Kefalovryso and Mesopotamos). It should be noted that, based on Article 3 (paragraphs 9 and 10) of the Decision setting the terms and restrictions for the protection of the free-flowing section designated as PLPNF (YPEN/DDFPB/61148/1574, Gov. Gazette 381/D/11.06.2024), the eight SHPs that have not obtained EIA Approval cannot proceed with the environmental licensing process, as they are now assessed under new regulatory requirements and environmental objectives.

In addition, special attention should be paid to monitoring the four projects whose environmental licensing has been completed, as they fall under the category of legally authorized existing projects. These projects may continue to be implemented or operate, provided that their construction and operation do not conflict with the protection objectives of the PLPNF (YPEN/DDFPB/61148/1574, Gov. Gazette 381/D/11.06.2024).

Developments regarding the SHP at Yiotsa stream

The timeline of the licensing process for the SHP at Yotsa stream can be found in the July 2025 article.

Following the submission of an application for suspension of works and an application for annulment of the EIA Approval for the Yotsa SHP by MedINA in cooperation with “Callisto”, the Siatista Mountaineering Club “Bourinos”, and with the support of citizen groups in the Aoos region (Initiative of Aetomilitsa Residents, Mountaineering Clubs of Konitsa, Igoumenitsa and Ioannina), the case was heard before the Council of State on Wednesday, February 5, 2025.

The decision was issued in December 2025, rejecting the annulment request. The rejection was based on the Court’s assessment that, despite the issues raised regarding environmental impacts and the protection of the area, sufficient legal grounds to justify annulment of the administrative act were not established.

In the meantime, following the identification of a violation of environmental condition 4 of the EIA Approval, which prohibits construction during bird nesting and breeding periods as well as during migration periods, MedINA, “Callisto”, the Siatista Mountaineering Club and active citizens of the area filed interim measures in June 2025 before the Court of First Instance of Grevena. The hearing led to the issuance of a temporary order to suspend works until a final decision is issued, which was initially scheduled for October 2025. However, the case was ultimately heard in January 2026, with the continuation of the temporary suspension of works until the final decision, which is still pending.

Developments regarding the SHP at Makryrema (Gorgopotamos)

An important development was the termination of the producer certificate for the project “Small Hydropower Station (SHS) of Gorgopotamos”, with a capacity of 2.39 MW, at Makryrema stream in the Mastorochoria Municipal Unit of the Municipality of Konitsa in November 2025. This development means that the project was automatically terminated and, consequently, the completion of the licensing process is no longer possible, preventing its implementation.

A determining factor in this development may have been the objections expressed during the public consultation, submitted by residents and local bodies in the form of D11 in the Electronic Environmental Registry and taken into account during the licensing process. Specifically, there was a joint statement from 17 cultural associations, unions and brotherhoods of the Municipality of Konitsa that submitted objections during the consultation. At the same time, negative opinions were issued by both the Municipality of Konitsa and the Region of Epirus. For this project, MedINA, Callisto, the Hellenic Society for the Protection of Nature and the Hellenic Ornithological Society also expressed serious objections during the public consultation.

Although the exact reasons that led to the termination of the project have not been made known, this development forms part of a broader context of discussions and reactions recorded in recent years in the Aoos River Basin regarding the environmental impacts of SHPs on river ecosystems and the wellbeing of local communities.

MedINA continues working at local, national and international level to protect the free flow of rivers and tributaries in the region, as well to establish a unified protection framework across the entire Aoos River Basin, enabling the creation of the first Transboundary Wild River Park in Europe, that of the Aoos/Vjosa River.

References:

1. Decentralised Administration of Epirus-Western Macedonia. Available at: https://www.apdhp-dm.gov.gr/
2. Geospatial Map of the Regulatory Authority for Waste, Energy and Water (RAAEY), July 2025. Available at: https://geo.rae.gr/
3. Dimopoulos, T., Sakellarakis, F.N., & Pappa, A. (2023). Small Hydropower Plants in Sarantaporos, Aoos, and Voidomatis, March 2023. Available at: https://med-ina.org/small-hpps-aoos-position/
4. Dimopoulos, T., & Pappa, A. (2023). Small Hydropower Plants in Sarantaporos, Aoos, and Voidomatis, July 2023. Available at: https://med-ina.org/small-hpps-aoos-position-july23-eng/
5. Dimopoulos, T., Papageorgiou, D., & Pappa, A. (2023). Small Hydropower Plants in Sarantaporos, Aoos, and Voidomatis, November 2023. Available at: https://med-ina.org/small-hydropower-plants-on-sarantaporos-aoos-and-voidomatis-rivers-november-2023/
6. Dimopoulos, T., Papageorgiou, D., Katsaros, A., & Spiliopoulou, K. (2024). Small Hydropower Plants in Sarantaporos, Aoos, and Voidomatis, May 2024. Available at: https://med-ina.org/small-hydropower-plants-on-sarantaporos-aoos-and-voidomatis-rivers-may-2024/
7. Dimopoulos, T., Linardaki, E., Dimopoulou, M., & Sakellarakis, F.N. (2024). Small Hydropower Plants in Sarantaporos, Aoos, and Voidomatis, November 2024. Available at: https://med-ina.org/small-hydropower-plants-on-sarantaporos-aoos-and-voidomatis-rivers-november-2024/
8. Dimopoulos, T., Linardaki, E., Dimopoulou, M., & Sakellarakis, F.N. (2025). Small Hydropower Plants in Sarantaporos, Aoos, and Voidomatis, July 2025. Available at: https://med-ina.org/shp-sarantaporos-aoos-voidomatis-july2025/
9. Platform for posting decisions on EIA Approvals, July 2025. Available at: https://aepo.ypeka.gr/
10. Diavgeia, July 2025. Available at: https://diavgeia.gov.gr/
11. Electronic Environmental Registry, July 2025. Available at: https://eprm.ypen.gr/
12. Ministry of Environment and Energy, Decision YPEN/DD FPB/115155/3787 “Designation of a section of the Aoos River Basin as a Protected Landscape and Protected Natural Formation” (Gov. Gazette 6679/B/27.11.2023).
13. Ministry of Environment and Energy, Decision YPEN/DD FPB/61148/1574 “Establishment of terms and restrictions for the protection and preservation of wild and free flow in the area of the protected natural formation and protected landscape of the Aoos River Basin in the Regional Unit of Ioannina, for activities carried out within the section designated by the decision YPEN/DD FPB/115155/ 3787/8.11.2023 of the Head of the General Directorate of Environmental Policy of the Ministry of Environment and Energy (B’ 6679)” (Gov. Gazette 381/D/11.06.2024).

This article was developed within the framework of the projects “Ri-Connect II”, implemented by MedINA and funded by PONT, and “Aoos/Vjosa Campaign”, coordinated by EuroNatur, implemented by MedINA, and funded by the Holdfast Collective.