The EU Cohesion Fund and the EBRD are joining forces to modernise and upgrade the water and wastewater services in Dolj, a press release informs. The EBRD is providing a RON 57 M loan (EUR 13.6 M) with 15-year maturity to co-finance a regional investment programme of EUR 150.28 M equivalent, approved by the European Union, which includes significant grant funding from the EU. The modernisation programme will be implemented by Compania De Apa Oltenia S.A., the local water utility and recipient of the loan. The upgrade is expected to reduce water losses, optimise costs and bring services in line with EU environmental directives. The EBRD’s loan is being provided under the Bank’s Romania EU Cohesion Funds Water Co-Financing Framework, launched in 2010. The utility in Dolj is the eighteenth company in Romania to benefit from the modernisation of water and wastewater services. To date the Bank has invested over EUR 240 M under the Framework and has mobilised more than EUR 1.5 bn of EU funding in Romania’s water and wastewater facilities.
