A Greek island municipality faced acute water shortage during the peak tourist season. The summer population swells from 4,000 to over 30,000, overwhelming existing infrastructure. Tanker water deliveries cost €11/m³ and remained subject to weather disruption. A permanent desalination plant was years away in the permitting process.
RIEFILT deployed a containerized seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) system within 5 weeks under a multi-year rental contract. The 40-foot ISO container required only a seawater intake connection and grid power, and was fully operational before the season peak.
Water cost dropped from €11/m³ (tanker delivery) to €2.90/m³ (desalination) — saving the municipality approximately €900,000 across the season. Zero supply interruptions were recorded for the first time in over a decade. The municipality has since extended the rental contract for three additional seasons.
RIEFILT maintains a fleet of pre-commissioned containerized desalination units in strategic Mediterranean locations, enabling 4–6 week deployment timelines from contract signing to first water — versus 18–36 months for permanent installations.
The rental model is ideal for municipalities navigating long permitting cycles, seasonal demand spikes, or emergency drought response. Contracts can be extended, scaled, or converted to permanent installations as long-term infrastructure plans mature.
