A consortium formed by French utility Suez Environnement and Austrian construction company Strabag has secured contracts to develop four wastewater treatment plants in the town of Porec in Croatia.
Odvodnja, the town’s water agency, has awarded design and build contracts for the facilities which have a cumulative value of €38m, of which the Suez will have a €22m share.
European Union has contributed around 78% of the total contract value.
The proposed plants with membrane bioreactors will have a total capacity of 137,500 population equivalent.
These plants will supply treated water for irrigational purposes.
The contracts will also require the Suez-Strabag consortium to build an additional 62km of wastewater networks, the rehabilitation of 23km of the existing wastewater network and setting up of 52 pumping stations.
Sludge derived after treating the wastewater at the facilities will be recovered by drying in the sun or by composting in units supplied by Suez, the firm said.
The consortium will simultaneously build all the four facilities, with plans to complete them by 2017.
The European Union is supporting the local authorities’ initiative to strengthen the town’s wastewater treatment infrastructures.
Suez Environnement International division senior executive vice-president Marie-Ange Debon said: "Suez is supporting Croatia in its drive to modernise its infrastructures and, at the same time, is helping to protect the coastline and the natural ecosystem."