Galindo plant enhances stormwater treatment with Veolia technology

The Galindo Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) in Bilbao, Spain, is advancing its sustainability and innovation goals with the integration of Veolia’s Actiflo® Turbo technology for stormwater treatment. This major upgrade is a key component of the Primary Treatment Renovation and Improvement Construction Project, an initiative led by the Bilbao-Bizkaia Water Consortium and Aguas de las Cuencas de España (ACUAES), reflecting the region’s strong commitment to building climate-resilient infrastructure.

The project involves a total estimated investment of 38 million euros. Of this amount, 80% will be co-financed by the European Union's Next Generation EU funds through the Ministerio para la Transición Ecológica y el Reto Demográfico (Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge), as part of Spain’s Plan de Recuperación, Transformación y Resiliencia (Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan). The remaining 20% will be covered by the consortium during the construction phase, in accordance with the agreement signed on June 1, 2022, which governs the project's financing, execution, and future operations.

The upgraded facility will be capable of treating 21,600 cubic meters of stormwater per hour in real time. Thanks to its strong performance, it will achieve more than 82.5% removal of suspended solids—or ensure treated water contains less than 35 mg/l—playing a significant role in protecting local ecosystems. The Actiflo Turbo technology, developed by Veolia and supplied by Veolia Water Technologies Ibérica, uses an advanced coagulation-flocculation-decantation process enhanced with microsand. This allows for a compact, high-speed, and highly efficient stormwater treatment process.

As cities across the globe confront the increasing effects of climate change, resilient technologies like Actiflo Turbo are gaining traction as vital complements to conventional stormwater tanks. The adoption of this solution supports the goals of the new EU Directive 2024/3019 on Urban Wastewater Treatment, which highlights the urgent need to address pollution from stormwater and urban runoff—especially in the face of more frequent and intense rainfall.

In this context, Actiflo Turbo offers a reliable and efficient solution. Its proven capacity to treat large water volumes quickly and effectively, even within a compact footprint, positions it as a powerful tool for today’s and tomorrow’s climate-resilient stormwater management strategies.