Waste water tunnel in the river Neva completed – almost all waste water from St. Petersburg is now treated
The new waste water pumping station for the sewer tunnel was launched today, 10 October, by Vodokanal of St. Petersburg, the city’s water and waste water utility. With the sewer tunnel in operation, most of the waste water from the city of St. Petersburg will be channelled to waste water treatment plants, which will eliminate almost all discharges of untreated waste water into the Baltic Sea. According to recent research, the water quality in the easternmost Gulf of Finland has improved, thanks to the enhanced treatment of waste water from St. Petersburg.
Finland’s contribution of EUR 4.8 million was allocated towards the equipment deliveries to the tunnel’s pumping station. The renovation of the northern waste water treatment plant is covered by the investment programme, and will be completed next year.
Remarkable decrease in waste water load
The Neva sewer tunnel project is a recent example of the 20 years of cooperation between Vodokanal of St. Petersburg and the Ministry of the Environment. The Ministry has supported St. Petersburg’s waste water projects since 1991, with an aggregate sum of EUR 38 million from the neighbouring area cooperation funds. The City of St. Petersburg has invested well over one billion euros in its waste water treatment. The investments have helped reduce waste water discharge levels from St. Petersburg into the Baltic Sea, by an amount equivalent to the load caused by three million inhabitants. The phosphorus load has decreased by more than 2,000 tonnes in one year.
The cooperation work involved developing the management and use of the plant, training the staff, improving its maintenance, testing new sewage renovation methods, modernising waste water pumping stations, and enhancing waste water treatment processes.
The cornerstones of the cooperation included the construction of the south-eastern waste water treatment plant, which was the first construction project to be implemented with international funds, and the twinning programme between the waste water treatment plants of Helsinki and St. Petersburg, which involved providing the plant management and staff with training in modern water and waste water utility operations. The trial tests carried out on biological and chemical removal of phosphorus were new in Russia, and the methods were adopted in all waste water treatment plants in St. Petersburg. Today, Vodokanal of St. Petersburg is one of the highest functioning water and waste water utilities in Russia.
The bilateral cooperation between the Finnish Ministry of the Environment and St. Petersburg has led to cooperation with international financial institutions, and to the first EBRD loan programme for investments in St. Petersburg’s waste water treatment. The Northern Dimension Environmental Partnership put together an international loan and donation scheme, and accelerated several investments. Under this cooperation, the bilateral financing given by Finland was allocated not only to deliveries of Finnish equipment, but also to reports that outlined the needed investments.
The dedication of Vodokanal’s management, and their persistent efforts for the Baltic Sea, has been crucial in the cooperation.
“St. Petersburg is the largest coastal city along the Baltic Sea, and our responsibility for the state of the sea is also great. From this day onwards, as much as 98.4 per cent of the city’s waste water will be treated. This is the result of the cooperative efforts of the Russian government, the City of St. Petersburg, Vodokanal and, of course, our foreign partners – especially our Finnish partners. We are genuinely grateful to Finland’s Ministry of the Environment for the cooperation that has lasted for more than twenty years“, Director General Felix Karmazinov describes.
Currently, St. Petersburg is focusing on sharing its know-how with other Russian cities. For example, it has founded the International Advanced Water Technologies Centre, which includes a strong Finnish presence in the cooperation on training.
Finnish companies benefit from the cooperation
The partners involved in the cooperation between the Ministry and St. Petersburg included several Finnish companies in the water sector and communities. The long-term cooperation has improved the visibility of the Finnish water sector in Russia, and has facilitated exports. Furthermore, the investments in St. Petersburg’s waste water treatment have been immensely cost efficient, compared to investments implemented in Finland. The benefits Finland reaps from the enhanced waste water treatment of St. Petersburg exceed by far the level of investments. St. Petersburg could be characterised as the success story of the Finnish water sector.
The Neva sewer tunnel project is the lead project of the Northern Dimension Environmental Partnership. Loans of some EUR 60 million have been provided to the project by the Nordic Investment Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, and the European Investment Bank. In addition, a donation of some EUR 31 million has been granted to the project from the Government of Sweden and the Northern Dimension Environmental Partnership Fund.
More information:
Kristiina Isokallio, Senior Adviser, Ministry of the Environment, tel. +358 (0)50 581 9618, [email protected]
Laura Saijonmaa, Environment Counsellor, Ministry of the Environment, tel. +358 (0)40 546 3344, [email protected]