The European Investment Bank (EIB) and the state agency for water and drainage management in the Nice metropolitan area have announced a financing agreement to construct Haliotis 2, an expanded water treatment plant that is more environmentally sustainable than its predecessor. The current plant, operated by the agency, treats most of the wastewater of the association of municipalities Métropole Nice Côte d’Azur.
The total financing contributed by the EIB is €250 million. The agreement was announced as part of the EIB Adaptation Days (5 to 6 June) held in Nice, organised by the EIB and the European Commission with the support of EDHEC Business School, on the day before the UN Ocean Conference (9 to 13 June).
This bastion of environmental technology will overcome climate challenges by creating value from wastewater – from biogas production, heat recovery and large-scale water reuse
“Wastewater management is a fundamental part of a balanced development process for a city or region,” said EIB Vice-President Ambroise Fayolle. Haliotis 2 is an example of modern infrastructure that will allow for better water treatment and reuse and less discharge of wastewater into the Mediterranean, promoting environmental conservation in the Nice metropolitan area. As the climate bank of the European Union, the EIB is very proud to support Nice in this wonderful project to serve its residents and the region.” This project also fits into the EIB’s broader segment of operations around water. “Today, projects related to water make up more than half of the EIB’s activity for climate change adaptation,” Fayolle added.
Christian Estrosi, Mayor of Nice, President of Métropole Nice Côte d’Azur and Vice-President of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur regional council explained, “Water supply is a major challenge of this century, especially for our region. It is our responsibility to take concrete action to conserve it. Haliotis 2 is the largest project in France for a next-generation water treatment plant, and a flagship project for Nice in terms of environmental and energy performance. This bastion of environmental technology will overcome climate challenges by creating value from wastewater – from biogas production, heat recovery and large-scale water reuse – and will play a central role in our Climate Plan to cut greenhouse gas emission by 55% by 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. This ambitious project could never have seen the light of day without the critical support of the EIB, which is a key partner in our region’s climate transition.”
Several aspects of the project are part of a climate change mitigation and adaptation strategy. Those falling under climate adaptation are:
- reusing treated wastewater (around 5 million m3 per year) to conserve drinking water;
- protecting the plant against flooding;
- protecting the plant against the 100-year recurrence interval risk of marine submersion by storm surge or rising sea level to the year 2100.
In addition, reducing the amount of ocean pollution will be beneficial for marine life.
The EIB also provided Eau d’Azur with advisory services, in particular to consolidate the model used by the company’s management to make financial projections and explore new potential sources of EU-level financing.
