The Municipality of Korinthos, Greece, celebrated a major milestone in water management with the inauguration of a project that upgrades the city’s main water treatment plant. Implemented by the Global Water Partnership – Mediterranean (GWP-Med) and funded by Crown Holdings, this initiative significantly enhances water efficiency, ensuring resilience against water scarcity challenges exacerbated by climate change.
The inauguration ceremony was attended by distinguished guests, including officials from GWP-Med, representatives from Crown Hellas, and local authorities. The Mayor of Corinth, Nikos Stavrelis, emphasized the project’s importance:
"Today, we celebrate a project that strengthens our municipality’s sustainability and resilience. This initiative not only addresses current water needs but also prepares us for future challenges by embracing modern, efficient water management practices."
Watch the video:
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Left to right: Rashad Alfarajat, Project Engineer, Crown Holdings; Prof. Michael Scoullos, Chair, GWP-Med; Jennifer Bogs, Director - Global Sustainability, Crown Holdings; Andreas Vergotis, Korinthos Plant Manager, Crown; Nikos Stavrelis, Korinthos Mayor; Dimitris Papageorgious, CEO of Korinthos Municipal Water Authority.
Project Highlights
The project focuses on reducing water waste through advanced filtration and reclamation technology. By reusing 92% of the water previously discharged during filter cleaning, the upgraded plant saves at least 26 million liters of water annually—equivalent to the average yearly consumption of 100 households in Korinthos.
Michalis Chatzis, Chair of Korinthos Municipal Water Authority, inaugurates the new facility.
Nikos Skondras, Project Manager, GWP-Med and Rashad Alfarajat, Project engineer, Crown.
The installation includes:
- A 200,000-liter storage tank for treated water.
- Advanced filtration technology for cleaning and reuse of water.
- Donation of a geophone and camera equipment to the Municipal Water and Sewerage Authority of Korinthos (DEYAK) to detect and repair underground water leaks efficiently.
Nikos Stavrelis, Korinthos Mayor, inspects the new facility.
Crown and GWP-Med selected Corinth, a coastal town in North Peloponnese, Greece, as a project location given that Crown maintains an aluminum beverage can plant in the city and the area is also facing increasing water stress. Amid growing needs and rising regional temperatures, Corinth needs to modernize and optimize its infrastructure to effectively service its population and protect the environment.
John Rost, PhD, Senior Vice President—Crown Technology, Global Sustainability & Regulatory Affairs, said: “Bolstering the local supply of safe water is not only a smart business decision for our organization in terms of preserving our strong global presence, but it is also simply the right thing to do to protect the health of the vibrant community and environment in Korinthos. We are pleased to join forces with GWP-Med to take accountability for improving the water system in the area.”
Local & Global Collaboration provides a tangible improvement in water resources management
Jennifer Bogs, Director - Global Sustainability and Rashad Alfarajat, Project engineer, Crown
With ongoing impacts of climate change felt across Greece, the project underscores the critical need for innovative solutions in water management, delivered through an effective partnership between the public and private sectors, facilitated by GWP-Med.
On the part of Crown, who is also a signatory to the United Nation's CEO Water Mandate, the project aims to address pressing water scarcity concerns in a region critical to the Company’s operations and to uphold water replenishment commitments set in their Twentyby30™ sustainability program.
“This project comes at just the right time for Korinthos”, said Nikos Skondras, Senior Programme Officer at GWP-Med. "All across Greece, climate change impacts are being severely felt, with water reserves running at alarmingly low levels. Crown’s support is making an invaluable difference for years to come. It is encouraging to see a major manufacturer practice mindfulness around their water consumption levels and social impact, and we look forward to pairing with Crown on future projects.”