Athens unveils EUR 53.6 million project to modernise and replace street lights

According to the municipality, this is the country’s largest energy upgrade programme

On 1 November, the Greek capital revealed that it will soon implement the largest energy upgrade programme the country has ever planned. That is, the City of Athens will replace its current “traditional” lighting fixtures with a total of 43,679 new and modern lamps that will enhance the security of citizens, reduce costs, and benefit the environment.

Realising enormous savings

Currently, there is a total of approximately 45,500 street lights in Athens’ seven municipal districts. This entire network reportedly consumes about 36 GWh per year, costing the City of Athens around 5.3 million euros each year.

The modern lighting fixtures will help the Greek capital realise tremendous savings as the new network is expected to consume only 7.5 GWh per year, costing 1.1 million euros annually. Beyond this, the maintenance costs will drop from 300,000 to 86,000 euros. Taking these figures into account, the City of Athens has calculated that the upgraded network will help it realise savings of around 80%.

Characteristics of the modern fixtures

In a press release, the Greek capital shared that each of the 43,679 modern lighting fixtures can be controlled remotely. What is more, the network will automatically signal the presence of faults, allowing the municipality to easily maintain or replace damaged lamps.

In addition, the modern fixtures will benefit the safety and protection of both citizens and the environment. Expanding on this, the lights will be equipped with movement sensors, allowing pedestrians to feel more secure when walking through parks and squares at night. Furthermore, the municipality will install a warm shade of light (3000K) which will minimise light pollution.

A project worth over EUR 53 million

The City of Athens will begin working on the supply and installation of the network in the summer of 2022. To finance this ambitious project, the municipality has secured funds from the Public Investment Programme of the Ministry of the Environment. The replacement of the current network is estimated to cost approximately 53.6 million euros. In a press release, the Mayor of Athens Kostas Bakoyannis commented:

“Athens is evolving according to the requirements of the 21st century. We worked, according to plan, for the energy upgrade of the city, utilising the technological means we now have and thus securing valuable resources for the Municipality of Athens.

With the implementation of this integrated, innovative program, we achieve an ambitious goal: To restore the feeling of security for all residents and – at the same time – to highlight every beautiful corner of the city, which due to lack of lighting in several places, remained hidden. Athens acquires after years, the lighting that befits a modern, European capital.”