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Water infrastructure seen from above, Source: European Investment Bank

Seville’s water infrastructure to get a 75-million euro boost thanks to EIB

Seville’s water infrastructure to get a 75-million euro boost thanks to EIB

The funds will go for upgrades, which in turn will impact public health positively and create jobs

The European Investment Bank (EIB) will finance Seville’s municipal water supplier Emasesa with up to 75 million euros, according to a press release from 23 September. The funding is meant to be a crucial step in the post-pandemic recovery of the city and the region of Andalucia, which has suffered a hard economic impact.

The money will be injected into investments until 2024, with the aim of improving service quality and environmental resilience in Seville and 11 surrounding municipalities.

Emasesa seems like a forward-thinking organization

You might remember Emasesa, as the municipal company which participated in the project of turning Seville’s street oranges into biogas that powered the local waste treatment plants. That venture is, in fact, still attracting considerable media and investor attention. And why would it not? After all, a tonne of oranges can power five households for a day!

The oranges-into-electricity project was recently presented on 21 September at the Instituto Cervantes in Athens (Greece) and on 23 September at the European Night of Researchers taking place in Seville (Spain).

Combatting water stress

Given Emasesa’s sustainability credentials it is no surprise that the EIB would feel confident to invest in that municipal company.

The money will improve the available water infrastructure in order to increase the coverage, quality and resilience of integrated water services in the Seville metropolitan area. It will also improve operational efficiency, for example by reducing water losses, increasing energy efficiency and reducing the risk of flooding in the service area.

By improving the efficiency of water supply services, the operation will help ensure the proper distribution of water in southern Spain — an area experiencing water stress — in the future.

The project will also help combat the economic downturn that the region has experienced in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. Reportedly, the undertaking will create an estimated 1 100 new jobs in the region during the construction phase.

According to the CEO of Emasesa Jaime Palop, “These investments are part of the 2030 plan, which is based on the transformation, modernisation and adaptation of Emasesa to meet the demands of society and the new challenges of climate change. Basically, our goal is to ensure that service efficiency is a public right.

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