Island facts
Kalymnos is a Greek island and municipality in the southeastern Aegean Sea. It belongs to the Dodecanese island chain, and it is located between the islands of Kos (south, at a distance of 12 km/7 mi) and Leros (north, at a distance of less than 2 km/1 mi): the latter is linked to it through a series of islets. Kalymnos lies between two and five hours away by sea from the island of Rhodes. In 2021, the island had a population of 17,602, making it the third most populous island of the Dodecanese, after Kos and Rhodes. The Municipality of Kalymnos, which includes the inhabited islands of Pserimos, Telendos, Kalolimnos, and Pláti, as well as several uninhabited islets, has a combined land area of 134.544 square kilometres and a total population of 17,752 inhabitants in 2021.
Kalymnos belongs to the non-interconnected electrical system of Kos-Kalymnos. Kos-Kalymnos electrical system consists of Kos, Kalymnos, Pserimos, Gyali, Leros, Lipsoi, Telendos, Nisiros, and Tilos islands. Kalymnos is interconnected with Kos with four submarine cables (two cables 3x150 Al, two cables 3x95 Cu) at 20 kV rated voltage. In addition, Kalymnos is interconnected with Leros with two submarine cables (3x150 Al, 20 kW) and Telendos with two submarine cables (3x35 Al, 20 kW).
The electricity demand for the Kos-Kalymnos electrical system in 2023 was around 360 GWh, while the electricity demand for Kalymnos island is estimated at approximately 97 GWh annually. Electricity production of the hall Kos-Kalymnos electrical system in 2023 was around 402 GWh, and the RES penetration was around 12.6%. The energy consumption for heating, cooling and water heating in Kalymnos is estimated at 46 GWh per year, while the consumption for the transport section is estimated at 75 GWh per year.
In the framework of the Follower Islands programme, our vision is to create a sustainable, resilient and autonomous energy system that meets the needs and prospects of the local population, supports local economic growth, and mitigates environmental impact.