Osijek is building Croatia’s largest wastewater treatment plant

It will cover an area of 165,000 square metres and cost over EUR 30 million

On 14 February, the City of Osijek announced that the construction of its modern wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) is underway and in full swing. According to the municipality, this plant will reduce the discharge of untreated wastewater into sensitive areas of the Danube basin. Taking this further, it will cover an area of 165,000 square metres and be the largest, most complex system of its kind in the Mediterranean country.

Examining the progress of the construction, the Mayor of Osijek Ivan Radić and the Minister of Regional Development and EU Funds Nataša Tramišak (among others) visited the plant earlier this week. Commenting on the significance of the project, Mayor Radić commented:

“I would say that a real small town is springing up here, considering that as many as 28 buildings will be built. When this plant is completed in two years, it will be the most complex and state-of-the-art wastewater treatment system in Croatia. [...] The City of Osijek received the award for Eco-City in 2021, we will continue to work in this direction and such a large complex and intervention is in favour of that.”

Using EU funds

In a press release, the City of Osijek reports that the modern wastewater treatment plant is worth HRK 228 million (over EUR 30 million). The EU will co-finance 73% through the Cohesion Fund, while the state and Croatian waters will cover 10% each. The municipalities of Osijek and Čepin will then finance the remaining 7%.

Minister Tramišak discussed the plant and its financing, sharing that such construction projects are an excellent example of how to use funds from the European Union. According to her, such developments can be seen as leaders that help bring the country closer to achieving national and European environmental goals.

The construction of the modern wastewater treatment plant will end at the beginning of 2024.