Jyväskylän Seudun Puhdistamo has received financial assistance from Nordic Investment Bank (NIB) to improve Nenäinniemi wastewater treatment plant in Central Finland.

The investment programme is to be implemented during 2016–2018 and amounts to 30m, of which NIB is lending 15m.

The WWTP will be refurbished to meet stricter standards regarding refinement and discharges. This includes enhanced ammonium removal, a post-treatment unit for improved removal of suspended solids and phosphorus and hygienisation for removal of pathogens.

Increasing the treatment capacity will accommodate the expected growth in population, with wastewater volume expected to increase by approximately 19% between 2015 and 2030.

The Nenäinniemi WWTP also utilises biogas produced from wastewater sludge treatment to fully cover its heat demand and approximately 45% of its power need.

"The investment will increase the treatment efficiency and operational reliability of the WWTP. The new post-treatment unit will secure the treatment results in case of disturbances in the biological treatment phase. The new automation and reporting system ensures the full and safe control of plant operations, and gives us the tools to optimise the use of energy and chemicals" says Petri Tuominen, CEO of Jyväskylän Seudun Puhdistamo.

“NIB is providing this loan to accommodate population growth and reduce discharges of nutrients into the water”, says Henrik Normann, NIB President and CEO.

Jyväskylän Seudun Puhdistamo is owned by the municipalities of Jyväskylä (87%), Laukaa (8.7%) and Muurame (4.3%).

NIB is an international financial institution owned by eight member countries: Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway and Sweden. The Bank finances private and public projects in and outside the member countries. NIB has the highest possible credit rating, AAA/Aaa, with the leading rating agencies Standard & Poor’s and Moody’s.