Which new infrastructure projects are to be tendered or signed before the upcoming General Elections

The last month before the national elections seems to be particularly “loaded” in the field of infrastructure. In March, it is expected that the last outstanding issues in the field of tenders and contract signings by the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport will be finalised.

In the field of tenders, one of the most important tenders is for the extension by Attiko Metro of line 2 to Ilion. It is the first extension tender since 2017, when line 4 was tendered. The €550m project has attracted the interest of construction majors and the expression of interest date is March 17.

At the same time, another very large road project is being tendered by the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport and concerns the extension of the Ionian Motorway in the Ioannina-Kakavia section that completes the main axis of the highway from Antirrio to Kakavia. With a cost of 310 million euros, it is the largest new road project in the country and one of the most important as it connects Greece with Albania. The submission of the dossiers is set for March 17.

But we will have time for offers at the end of March for the main section of the VOAK from Chania to Heraklion and Hersonissos . The project, with an estimated cost of up to 1.5 billion euros, is currently the largest new concession project in the country. The schemes that have reached the B`phase of the tedner are:

On March 23, we will have the expression of interest for the large double irrigation project in Lasithi for the Chochlakion Reservoir and the Agios Ioannis Dam. The PPP project costing 70 million euros is being tendered by the Ministry of Rural Development.

We are also waiting for developments on the Kymi Avenue extension project for the signing of the contract. The Municipality of Neo Heraklion appealed to the Supreme Court and we await the decision.

The signing of contracts

On the other hand, we also have a series of signatures of major projects. The first is expected to be for the Bypass of Chalkida and Psachni with Mytilineos. The pre-contractual period has been completed and the closing of the tender is now expected in order to start the works. It is the largest road project in Evia with a budgeted cost of 210 million euros.

At the same time, the procedures are underway to sign the middle part of the VOAK, Hersonissos-Neapoli with the consortium GEK TERNA-ACTOR CONCESSIONS-INTRAKAT as the contractor. The aim is obviously to sign the PPP project before the elections. With the signing, 2 of the 3 projects of VOAK, i.e. its entire eastern side, will have entered the construction track.

The same applies to the other road project-PPP Kalamata-Pylos-Methoni with the pre-contractual period being completed immediately. The aim here too is to sign the contract before the national elections. The contracting scheme is AKTOR CONCESSIONS-INTRAKAT.

However, we will also have signatures for the supply of 250 buses from Yutong and another 100 natural gas from IVECO. The two contracts are in the Auditor’s Office and have a chance of being signed before the elections. From these two contracts, 1/3 of the electric buses are directed to Thessaloniki and the rest to Athens.