The proceeds of the EBRD loan will be used to part-finance the investment program of Sisacki Vodovod, which includes the upgrade of the existent wastewater network, expansion of the sewage collection system and the construction of a wastewater treatment plant in Sisak.
The EBRD loan is extended to Sisacki Vodovod, the municipal water company servicing the city of Sisak and the surrounding towns and villages, which is owned by local authorities and the state.
Located in central Croatia, at the confluence of the Kupa and Sava rivers, Sisak is primarily an industrial city, home of the largest metallurgic factory and oil refinery in Croatia.
Although large parts of Sisak city are connected to the wastewater collection network, due to limited infrastructure, significant areas of Sisak’s neighboring regions remain unserviced, with wastewater being discharged without treatment into the surrounding rivers, EBRD said.
Co-financed by funds from the EU’s Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance, the project will help reduce the pollution of the Kupa and Sava rivers, and consequently of the Danube river basin.
The implementation of the project is supported by additional grant financing from the governments of Netherlands and Italy for the preparation of feasibility study and enhance operational performance of Sisacki Vodovod.
Charlotte Ruhe, EBRD director for Croatia, said: “The EBRD is pleased to support this important project for the city of Sisak. The upgrade of the wastewater network will bring Sisak into line with EU environmental standards and will improve significantly the quality of life in the city.”
Dinko Pintaric, the mayor of the City of Sisak, said: “The project addresses a key infrastructure need in the City of Sisak. It will reduce the wastewater discharged into the surrounding rivers, cutting the pollution of the environment. The construction of the wastewater treatment plant will bring very noticeable environmental improvements to the city with a population of more than 50,000.”
Since the beginning of its operations in Croatia, the EBRD has committed EUR2.2bn in various sectors of the country’s economy, mobilizing additional investments worth EUR3bn from other sources.
