EIB loan to upgrade wastewater treatment plant in Sweden

The centralised wastewater treatment at Käppala will be upgraded to deal with the wastewater of around 900 000 people.

The European Investment Bank (EIB) has signed a SEK 1 billion (€97 million) loan agreement with the Käppalaförbundet, an intermunicipality partnership in the Stockholm archipelago, for an upgrade and capacity increase of their wastewater treatment plant. The centralised wastewater treatment at Käppala will be upgraded to deal with the wastewater of around 900 000 people.

EIB Vice-President Thomas Östros noted: “Stockholm’s famous “skärgård” is of high importance for both the environment and the local economy. As the EU’s climate bank, we are happy to support the extension of the Käppala plant, helping to maintain the area in a sustainable way for the population.”

The original plant was put into operation in 1969 and was already extended once with support from an EIB loan of 6 million ECU in 1997. By minimising pollution of the receiving waters, the project will have a positive impact on the immediate environment and the Baltic Sea, and is expected to improve living conditions for the inhabitants of the Stockholm area.

The project will allow the promoter to fully meet the requirements of the Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (91/271/EC), the Water Framework Directive (2000/60/EC), and Helsinki Commission (HELCOM) recommendations for WWTP’s effluent (recommendation 28E/5, HELCOM).