The wastewater treatment plant is expected to begin operations 2024
Image: Tampere Region Central Treatment Plant. Photo: courtesy of Nordic Investment Bank (NIB).
The Nordic Investment Bank (NIB) has agreed to provide a loan of €150m ($129.22m) for setting up a centralised wastewater treatment plant in the Sulkavuori bedrock in Tampere.
Under the 30-year framework loan, the Tampere Region Central Treatment Plant will use the funding to protect the treatment of sewage in the Pirkanmaa area.
The building of the Sulkavuori centralised wastewater treatment plant has started, and the wastewater treatment plant is expected to come online in 2024.
The outflowing of purified water will travel through the bedrock tunnel from Sulkavuori to Vihilahti region and additionally along the discharge pipeline into Lake Pyhäjärvi.
The wastewater treatment plant will reduce the sewage load on Lake Pyhäjärvi
The wastewater treatment plant will lessen the sewage load on Lake Pyhäjärvi and the water system downstream of it.
The project will better the sanitary condition of the Lake Pyhäjärvi and Lempäälä water system downstream of the Hiidenvuolle strait.
It will be an active sludge plant operating on a parallel precipitating principle, where the wastewater is mechanically, chemically and biologically cleaned.
Furthermore, the purified wastewater will be sterilized by UV treatment.
The three existing wastewater treatment plants located at Viinikkala and Rahola in Tampere in addition to the one based in Lempäälä will be shut down.
All the plants are located in the middle of the residential area in valuable waterfront areas.
Shutting down the plants is expected to help in the redevelopment of the vacated land areas in Tampere and Lempäälä in a way that is considered to be feasible and result in long-term utilisation of municipal resources.
The central wastewater treatment plant Tampereen Seudun Keskuspuhdistamo (Tampere Region Central Treatment Plant) is a joint venture between the municipalities of Kangasala, Lempäälä, Pirkkala, Tampere, Vesilahti and Ylöjärven Vesi Oy.
In April, the NIB had agreed to provide a 30-year framework loan of NOK270m ($29.53m), to the Norwegian inter-municipality company Hias IKS, for improving drinking waste and wastewater infrastructure.
The loan from NIB will support the municipality company in replacing the outdated drinking water plant in Hamar, built in 1954.
The plant’s construction is expected to begin this year and will be completed by the end of 2021.