The European Union, the French Development Agency and Albania marked on 15 September the launch of the first phase of a major project to upgrade the wastewater system in Durrës to EU standards, with works on the ground expected to start in 2027 Albanian Daily News. The package combines an EUR 85 million EU grant through the Western Balkans Investment Framework with a EUR 33.4 million sovereign loan from the French Development Agency (AFD), taking total reported funding to EUR 118 million Albanian Daily News. Implementation sits with Albania's Ministry of Infrastructure and Energy, working with the National Water and Sewerage Agency (AKUK) Albanian Daily News.
What happened
AFD CEO Christophe Lecourtier, the French Ambassador to Albania Catherine Suard and the Head of Cooperation of the EU Delegation to Albania Ritva Heikkinen visited the project site in Durrës with Minister of Infrastructures and Energy Enea Karakaçi and Mayor of Durrës Emiriana Sako to mark the launch Albanian Daily News. Heikkinen described the EU grant as one of the EU's largest grant investments in Albania to date, adding: "Upgrading wastewater infrastructure to EU standards is an important part of Albania's EU accession process and requires significant investment. This project is a significant step forward in addressing Albania's much larger environment investment needs" Albanian Daily News.
Only an estimated 20% of Durrës' wastewater is currently treated in line with EU standards, which the source ties to pollution of the Adriatic coast and to wider environmental, health and economic costs Albanian Daily News. The Durrës award comes against a separate but parallel signal from France: the Camping de la Presqu'île in Crozon, Finistère, began operating what is described as the first tourist-accommodation wastewater-recycling system in France in May 2026, with grey water treated and reused on site and a 40% cut in drinking-water use The Connexion. The two are not the same project, but both point to the same procurement question for French-speaking utilities: how to specify treatment trains that meet tighter reuse and discharge rules at the same time.
Scope, timetable and accession link
AFD CEO Christophe Lecourtier said: "We are very proud to launch this flagship project for Durrës, which will significantly improve wastewater management in one of Albania's most important cities and tourism destinations. By upgrading the wastewater treatment plant to serve up to 340,000 people, expanding collection and treatment, and bringing services closer to EU standards, this investment will deliver tangible benefits for citizens, public health and the protection of the Adriatic coast" Albanian Daily News. The source puts the design population at up to 340,000 residents, frames the work as the first phase of a larger scheme, and says it is intended to feed directly into Albania's alignment with European environmental standards under Chapter 27 of the EU accession negotiations Albanian Daily News.
| Item | Reported value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Total funding package | EUR 118 million (EUR 85M EU grant + EUR 33.4M AFD loan) | Albanian Daily News |
| Design population equivalent | Up to 340,000 people | Albanian Daily News |
| Current EU-standard treatment share | Estimated 20% of Durrës' wastewater | Albanian Daily News |
| Construction start | 2027 | Albanian Daily News |
| Reference point: Brittany campsite reuse system, total capex | €133,506, treating up to 20 m³/day | The Connexion |
Specification read
The reported design ceiling of 340,000 people translates, on a 200 L per capita per day residential basis, to a nominal hydraulic load in the order of 68,000 m³/day, with the actual dry-weather flow set by the detailed engineering that the source does not report. The source describes the scheme as an upgrade of the existing wastewater treatment plant plus expanded collection, which is consistent with a municipal train running screening and grit removal, primary clarification, biological treatment (a candidate step here is an A2O or MBR configuration sized for the population equivalent), and a tertiary polishing and disinfection stage to meet the EU discharge and bathing-water targets the source cites. The reported 20% current EU-compliance rate is the engineering signal that defines the gap this first phase has to close, and the Chapter 27 framing means the disinfection and solids-handling stages will be specified against EU Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive limits rather than local-only rules. For readers running coastal municipal plants of comparable size, the relevant procurement read is that EU grant money is now mobilising biological-stage upgrades and reuse-ready polishing on the Adriatic, with construction packages expected to flow from 2027. Background on the equipment classes involved can be found on our Mbr Membrane Systems and Water Purification pages, while the Municipal hub sets out how these trains are typically scoped for population equivalents in this range. Adjacent reading for plants weighing onsite reuse and tertiary disinfection choices is covered in Compact UV Disinfection Units for Onsite Water Reuse: 2026 Comparison Criteria.
FAQ
How big is the Durrës upgrade in hydraulic terms?
The source gives a design ceiling of 340,000 people, which at a typical 200 L per capita per day residential assumption points to a nominal load in the order of 68,000 m³/day; the source does not report a confirmed average dry-weather flow Albanian Daily News.
When will construction actually start and who implements it?
Works are reported to start in 2027, with Albania's Ministry of Infrastructure and Energy implementing the project together with the National Water and Sewerage Agency (AKUK) Albanian Daily News.
What compliance benchmark will the upgraded plant be designed to?
The source ties the investment to alignment with European environmental standards under Chapter 27 of the EU accession negotiations, and to bringing the treatment plant up to EU discharge standards; specific effluent limits in mg/L for BOD, COD, total nitrogen and total phosphorus are not reported Albanian Daily News.
Is there a smaller-scale French reuse project to use as a cost reference?
The Brittany campsite reuse project, a grey-water system using prefiltration, nanofiltration, activated carbon and chlorination, was reported at a total capex of €133,506 for up to 20 m³/day, with annual drinking-water savings of about 650 m³; it is a tourist-accommodation site, not a municipal plant, and so is a reference point only The Connexion.
