In this episode of Water Matters, Euronews travels to the Kubratovo wastewater treatment plant on the outskirts of Sofia. The city’s urban wastewater usually ends up here, and the process of providing clean water and treating that water after it’s used has a significant carbon footprint. But Kubratovo is one of the most energy-efficient plants in Europe, generating around 24,000 megawatt hours of electricity and heat energy – enough to power 2,300 homes annually.
“We collect the wastewater from the citizens of Sofia. We treat it here so that it is clean and discharged into the river. In the process, we produce biogas. This biogas is then converted into electricity and heat. The heat is used for our processes and the electricity covers the needs of this plant.” Stanislav Stanev, technical director at Veolia Bulgaria
Updated EU rules on wastewater treatment
The EU has recently strengthened and updated the Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive, which sets common EU standards for waste water treatment. The updated rules will force the waste water sector to Energy and climate neutrality. She The aim is to reduce pollution, energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions across the EU, improve water quality and improve access to sanitation, especially for the most vulnerable. According to the “Polluter pays principle, The new law also stipulates that part of the costs will be borne by the relevant industry and no longer by water charges or the public budget.
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