The government on Friday signed a memorandum of cooperation that will transform a number of small Aegean islands into “green” islands.

The agreement was signed by the Ministry of Energy and Environment, the French Embassy and six companies.

The agreement sets in motion the GR-Eco Island plan, which aims to make the islands independent of the national grid by providing them with renewable energy sources.

Halki island, in the Dodecanese, will be the first of the islands to undergo this green transition.

Under the cooperation agreement, Halki will receive a 1 MW photovoltaic park to cover its power requirements; a donation of e-vehicles for the its public services from the Syngelidis/Citroen Group; the upgrading of its telecommunications network to 5G by Vodafone Greece, which will provide the island with telemedicine and e-learning services as well as attract digital nomad tourism.

Last month, the government and Volkswagen Group kicked off an ambitious project for a switch to e-mobility and the full electrification of the island of Astypalea, in the South Aegean, with the delivery of the first electric vehicles.

[ANA-MPA]