Crete's Pylon Battle Comes to Athens: Science Night at the Polytechnic on November 11

Summary

On November 11, 2026, the National Technical University of Athens will present the final findings of a research study into the planned high-voltage power line between Chania and Damasta — a project with major implications for Crete's landscape, environment, and future development. The study was commissioned by the Association of Municipalities of Crete and carried out with the full backing of local government, including Apokoronas, which voted unanimously to participate. Mayor Koukianakis is urging Cretan communities and associations based in Attica to attend the 7 p.m. event at Patission 42 in Athens.

Crete's Pylon Debate Reaches Athens: Key Study Results Presented on November 11

A question that has been dividing opinion across Crete for years is set to move into sharper focus on November 11, 2026, when the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA) presents the final results of a major research study into the planned high-voltage power line between Chania and Damasta.

What Is Happening and Where

The NTUA has invited local authorities and the public to attend the presentation of its completed research findings. The event is open to all:

Date: November 11, 2026
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Venue: NTUA Amphitheatre, Patission 42, Athens

Who Commissioned the Study and Why

The research was not initiated by the central government or the energy company behind the project — it was ordered by the Association of Municipalities of Crete (PED Kritis), the body that brings together local councils across the island. From the outset, the association provided full support for the project, with the clear aim of putting hard scientific evidence on the table before major decisions are made.

The Municipality of Apokoronas voted unanimously at its council to participate in this effort. Mayor Charalampos Koukianakis has consistently argued that decisions of this scale — affecting the natural environment, the cultural heritage, the scenery, and the economic future of Crete — must be grounded in knowledge and real data, not political convenience.

A Call to Cretans in Athens

Beyond the formal invitation from the NTUA, Mayor Koukianakis is making a personal appeal to the many Cretan associations and communities based in Attica. These are people who may have moved to the Greek capital but have never broken their ties with the island — groups that keep Cretan traditions, roots, and memory alive in the city.

His message is straightforward: show up. This is an opportunity to make sure the voice of Crete is heard in a room where science and local government come together to shape the island's future.

Development vs. Protection — or Both?

A key theme running through the mayor's call is the argument that protecting the environment and pursuing development are not opposing goals. The real question, as he frames it, is how development happens — whether it respects the landscape, the history, and the people of a place, or whether it rides roughshod over them.

The November 11 event is being positioned not just as a scientific presentation, but as a genuine public conversation about what kind of future Crete wants to build — and what it wants to hand on to the next generation.

Official source

PRESS RELEASE – AT THE NTUA, THE "BATTLE" OF CRETE FOR THE CHANIA–DAMASTA PYLONS

Charalampos Koukianakis calls on Cretans in Attica to make their presence felt.

October 7, 2026, 7:23 AM

Following the invitation of the National Technical University of Athens to present the final conclusions of the research study, the Mayor of Apokoronas, Charalampos Koukianakis, issues an open call to the Cretan Associations of Attica. An important day for Crete is coming to Athens. On Wednesday, November 11, 2026, at 19:00, at the Amphitheatre of the National Technical University of Athens, Patission 42, the final conclusions of the NTUA research study on the Chania–Damasta high-voltage line will be presented. The Mayor of Apokoronas, Charalampos Koukianakis, following the NTUA's invitation, calls on Cretans in Attica to be present.

The study is an initiative of local government, as it was commissioned by the Association of Municipalities of Crete (PED Kritis), which from the very first moment provided its wholehearted support, with the aim of producing scientific documentation on an issue that touches on the natural environment, the landscape, our cultural heritage and the development prospects of the island. The Municipality of Apokoronas, by unanimous decision of the Municipal Council, actively participated in this effort, serving a consistent position: major decisions about the region must be supported by knowledge, science and real data.

The presentation of the study is not merely a scientific event. It is an opportunity to present the data in a clear manner and to open a substantive dialogue about how we plan the future of Crete, while simultaneously protecting the place and its potential.

For this reason, the Mayor of Apokoronas makes a particular call to the Cretans of Attica. To the people who left Crete but never truly left it behind, and to the associations that keep alive the roots, the traditions and the memory of the island. Protection of the environment does not mean rejection of development. It means development with respect for the place, the landscape, the history and its people. November 11 can become a meaningful meeting of science, local government and society, for the Crete we love and wish to pass on to our children.

November 11, 2026 | 19:00 National Technical University of Athens – Patission 42, Athens