Press release · Municipality of Apokoronas

Apokoronas mayor sends sharp warning to power grid operator over blackouts hitting water supply

August 17, 2026 Original source ↗

Summary

Mayor Charalampos Koukianakis of Apokoronas has sent a strongly worded formal letter to DEDDIE, Greece's electricity distribution operator, demanding clear explanations for the repeated and often unannounced power outages hitting the area. The blackouts are knocking out pumping stations run by the local water utility DEYAA, causing pressure drops and disrupted water supply in villages across the municipality. The mayor is demanding a concrete repair timeline, advance notice before any planned cuts, and an urgent meeting with DEDDIE's management — warning that the municipality will pursue every legal avenue available to protect residents' access to water.

Apokoronas mayor puts power company on notice over water supply crisis

Mayor Charalampos Koukianakis of Apokoronas has sent a blunt formal warning to DEDDIE, the company that operates Greece's electricity distribution network, demanding answers — and action — over persistent power cuts that are leaving villages without reliable water.

The problem: blackouts that knock out the water supply

Over recent months, Apokoronas has been hit by repeated power outages, many of them with no prior warning. The consequences go beyond inconvenience: each time the electricity goes down, the pumping stations operated by the local water utility DEYAA stop working. Water pressure across the network drops, and residents in villages and settlements throughout the municipality find themselves with weak flow or no water at all — exactly the situation you do not want in a Greek summer.

What the municipality has already tried

This is not a new complaint. The municipality formally approached DEDDIE earlier this year, but says it has never received a proper response — nothing that explains what is causing the outages, what has been done to fix them, or when residents can expect the situation to improve.

What the mayor is demanding

Koukianakis's letter to DEDDIE sets out four clear demands:

Cause: A proper explanation of what is behind the repeated power failures
Action taken: A full account of any repairs or work already carried out or planned
Timeline: A concrete schedule for when the problem will be permanently resolved
Advance notice: Timely alerts to both the municipality and DEYAA before any planned outages, so the water supply can be protected

The mayor is also calling for an urgent face-to-face meeting with DEDDIE's senior management.

A warning — and a pointed suggestion

Koukianakis pulls no punches: "We are not looking for a fight. We are looking for answers. Until now we have shown understanding. From here on we are demanding responsibility, information and a solution."

One passage in the letter stands out. The mayor explicitly states that he does not want anyone to think — even for a moment — that the power cuts might be connected to the municipality's firm opposition to plans for electricity pylons and wind turbines in the area. The very fact that he felt the need to say this speaks volumes about the tension between Apokoronas and the energy sector at the moment.

What this means for residents

For people living in Apokoronas, the situation right now is unpredictable. Unannounced outages can happen at any time, and when they do, water pressure can fail across the municipality without any prior warning reaching residents. Until DEDDIE provides reliable advance notice of planned cuts, neither the municipality nor DEYAA can prepare properly or warn the public.

The municipality is unequivocal: water is a basic right. Its supply cannot be left hostage to an unreliable electricity grid. If DEDDIE does not respond, Apokoronas says it will use every legal means at its disposal.

The mayor's final word: "We want answers, we want information. We want a solution and we want it now."

Official source

Source translation

Machine-translated from the official source document.

PRESS RELEASE – Sharp message from Koukianakis to DEDDIE

August 17, 2026, 8:03 AM

"The water supply of Apokoronas cannot depend on unannounced power cuts"

The Mayor of Apokoronas, Charalampos Koukianakis, has sent a sharply worded letter to the Management of DEDDIE, requesting immediate, clear and substantiated answers regarding the continuous and, in several cases, unannounced electricity outages that have been occurring in Apokoronas in recent times.

The situation now has direct and serious consequences for the water supply, as the outages affect the operation of the pumping stations of D.E.Y.A. Apokoronas, causing problems with network pressure and difficulties in the continuous and smooth supply of water to villages and settlements.

The Municipality had already approached DEDDIE, among other means via its request No. 13027927/04-05-2026, without having received to date a comprehensive and substantiated response explaining exactly what is happening, what the cause is, and what measures are being taken to definitively resolve the problem.

The Mayor requests specific answers regarding the causes of the outages, the interventions that have been carried out or are planned, the restoration schedule, and — above all — timely notification to the Municipality and D.E.Y.A.A. before each planned outage, so that the water supply can be protected.

"We are not seeking confrontation. We are seeking answers. Until now we have shown understanding. From here on we demand responsibility, information and a solution", Mr. Koukianakis emphasises.

At the same time, the Mayor notes that the recurrence of this phenomenon, without adequate notification, creates justified questions and concern within local government and among the public.

And he adds with particular emphasis:

"Under no circumstances do I want to imagine that this situation could be connected, in any way, to the firm and unambiguous stance of the Municipality of Apokoronas against the plans for pylons and wind turbines. I do not want even the slightest shadow of such a thought to exist. On the contrary, we demand to know with absolute clarity what is happening and why it is happening."

The Municipality of Apokoronas requests an immediate meeting with the Management of DEDDIE and a specific framework of actions for the definitive resolution of the problem.

Water is a fundamental social good. The continuous water supply to citizens cannot be a collateral consequence of problems in the electricity network, nor can it depend on unpredictable interruptions.

The Municipality of Apokoronas will exhaust every institutionally available means to protect the smooth water supply of its villages and settlements.

The Mayor's message is clear:

We want answers, we want information. We want a solution and we want it now.