An agreement for the construction of a wastewater treatment plant in the Delta area was signed in the ceremonial hall of the Sugar Refinery Palace, within the project “Improvement in water and utility infrastructure in the territory of the Rijeka agglomeration” worth HRK 1.76 billion, co-financed by the European Union under the Cohesion Fund.
The contractor is the community of bidders CHINA ENERGY ENGINEERING GROUP JIANGSU POWER DESIGN INSTITUTE Co. Ltd. and SUMEC COMPLETE EQUIPMENT AND ENGINEERING Co. Ltd. The value of the contract is HRK 522,600,000.36 exclusive of VAT (HRK 653,250,000.45 inclusive of VAT), and the deadline for its execution is a maximum of 1,520 days.
“This project represents an investment in the future of Rijeka, as a smart, green and clean city adapted to the needs of all citizens. In the long run, this project is a guarantee of clean sea and clean beaches in the heart of Rijeka, which is extremely important in light of constant tourist growth of Rijeka. Owing to this project, our grandchildren will still be able to drink high quality water, well-known throughout Croatia, Rijeka tap water”, said Marko Filipović, Rijeka mayor and adding that Rijeka is a leader in Croatia as regards the use of smart technologies, introduction of green forms of micromobility, and also for drawing down resources from EU funding programmes.
The signing of the contract was also attended by the Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development Tomislav Ćorić, who pointed out that 71.33 percent of the costs for the project “Improvement in water and utility infrastructure in the territory of the Rijeka agglomeration” are covered by the European Union, while the remaining part is covered by the Republic of Croatia through the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Energy and the National entity for water management “Hrvatske vode” and the utility company “Vodovod i kanalizacija”, which speaks in detail about the scope and complexity of the project.
The new wastewater treatment plant in the Rijeka agglomeration will have a purification capacity for the load of the equivalent of 200,000 inhabitants. and a maximum flow of 1,000 litres per second. Wastewater will be biologically treated before being discharged into the sea, and sludge will be treated and dried to a minimum of 90% of dry matter content. It is envisaged that all parts of the plant will be in closed facilities and close to the existing plant.
“These works will ensure a higher level of wastewater treatment in accordance with European standards and thus better environmental protection in our territory,” said the director of the utility company “Vodovod i kanalizacija”, Andrej Marochini.
Project financing
The project “Improvement in water and utility infrastructure in the territory of the Rijeka agglomeration” is worth HRK 1,761,563,462.00 (exclusive of VAT) and is co-financed by the European Union in the amount up to HRK 1,256,548,480.00 (exclusive of VAT), which makes 71.33% of the costs. EU funds are provided through the Operational Program “Competitiveness and Cohesion” for the period 2014-2020.
The remaining part of the project value in the amount of HRK 505,014,982.00, or 28.67%, will be provided from national funds for co-financing project costs. The Republic of Croatia, through the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Energy and the National entity for water management “Hrvatske vode”, provide the same amount of funds, HRK 185,164,000.00 each. The remaining amount of HRK 134,687,000.00 of national funds will be provided by the utility company Vodovod i kanalizacija through a long-term financial loan.
