The European Union, the French Development Agency (AFD) and Albania on 9 September 2026 marked the launch of the first phase of a major project to upgrade Durrës' wastewater infrastructure to EU standards, combining an €85 million EU grant through the Western Balkans Investment Framework with a €33.4 million sovereign loan from AFD for a total package of €118 million (EEAS).
For a plant manager or municipal utility engineer watching the Western Balkans, the headline is scale: the Durrës wastewater treatment plant will be expanded to serve up to 350,000 population equivalents, with collection and treatment coverage raised from roughly 20% to 85%, and an additional 100,000 people connected to sewer networks (EEAS).
Key takeaways
- EU grant of €85 million and AFD sovereign loan of €33.4 million, total package €118 million (EEAS).
- First phase launch marked on 9 September 2026 in Durrës by the EU, AFD and the Albanian Ministry of Infrastructure and Energy (EEAS).
- Treatment plant capacity to be raised to 350,000 population equivalents, with 100,000 additional residents connected to the sewer network (EEAS).
- Wastewater treatment coverage in Durrës to rise from an estimated 20% to 85% in line with EU standards (EEAS).
- Construction works expected to start in 2027, with the National Water and Sewerage Agency (AKUK) cooperating on delivery (EEAS).
What happened
The EU, the French Development Agency and Albania jointly marked the launch of the first phase of the Durrës wastewater project, which the EEAS describes as "one of the EU's largest grant investments in Albania to date" (EEAS). AFD CEO Christophe Lecourtier, French Ambassador to Albania Catherine Suard and the Head of Cooperation of the EU Delegation to Albania Ritva Heikkinen visited the project site together with Albanian Minister of Infrastructure and Energy Enea Karakaçi and the Mayor of Durrës Emiriana Sako (EEAS).
The €118 million package is split between an €85 million EU grant channelled through the Western Balkans Investment Framework and a €33.4 million AFD sovereign loan, and will be implemented by Albania's Ministry of Infrastructure and Energy in cooperation with the National Water and Sewerage Agency (AKUK) (EEAS). The project is intended to support Albania's alignment with EU environmental standards under Chapter 27 of the accession negotiations and follows two earlier EU-France-Albania preparatory projects that brought the scheme to technical maturity (EEAS).
| Item | Reported figure |
|---|---|
| Total package | €118 million (EEAS) |
| EU grant (Western Balkans Investment Framework) | €85 million (EEAS) |
| AFD sovereign loan | €33.4 million (EEAS) |
| Plant capacity (post-upgrade) | 350,000 population equivalents (EEAS) |
| Wastewater coverage | Raised from ~20% to 85% (EEAS) |
| Additional residents connected to sewer | 100,000 (EEAS) |
| Works start | Expected 2027 (EEAS) |
Speaking at the site visit, 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" (EEAS). Ritva Heikkinen, Head of Cooperation of the EU Delegation to Albania, framed the scheme as part of Albania's EU accession process and "a significant step forward in addressing Albania's much larger environment investment needs" (EEAS).
Currently only an estimated 20% of Durrës' wastewater is treated to EU standards, contributing to significant pollution of the Adriatic coast and wider environmental, economic and health costs (EEAS). The project will tackle this by upgrading the existing wastewater treatment plant to a capacity of 350,000 population equivalents, expanding the sewer network, and creating separate stormwater and wastewater networks in Durrës' historic city centre (EEAS). Works are expected to start in 2027, and the EEAS notes that the launch follows several years of preparatory work jointly carried out by the EU, France through AFD and Albania (EEAS).
Specification read
For a buyer scoping a plant of this class, the headline sizing is 350,000 population equivalents, which at a typical European per-capita wastewater load of roughly 150–200 litres per person per day corresponds to a design flow of around 52,500–70,000 m³/day, or 52.5–70 MLD (general industry range, not from the sources). The reported upgrade is on the collection-and-treatment envelope: the existing wastewater treatment plant is being expanded, separate stormwater and foul networks are being built in the historic centre, and 100,000 additional residents are being connected — i.e. the work sits across screening, primary treatment, a biological stage (A2O / MBR / MBBR / SBR / UASB class units, general industry range, not from the sources) and a tertiary / disinfection step sized for an EU Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive effluent envelope. If your plant is a coastal municipal works in the 50–70 MLD range discharging to a sensitive bathing- or shellfish-water body, with BOD and COD in the 200–400 mg/L and 400–800 mg/L range respectively (general industry range, not from the sources), this Durrës project is a useful reference: it shows donor-led buyers funding combined grant-plus-loan packages, coverage targets of 85%, and a hard line on separate stormwater networks in dense historic centres. For the broader procurement backdrop across Municipal schemes in the region, this is a multi-year, multi-package tender pipeline that suppliers of pumps, screens, biological reactors and disinfection skids should be tracking now, and the chlorine dioxide generator buyer's guide sits in the same disinfection-stage conversation that any new EU-aligned coastal works will need to address.
FAQ
What is being built in Durrës? A first-phase upgrade of the Durrës wastewater treatment plant, expanding capacity to 350,000 population equivalents, adding 100,000 new sewer connections, and building separate stormwater and foul networks in the historic city centre (EEAS).
Who is funding the €118 million package? An €85 million EU grant through the Western Balkans Investment Framework plus a €33.4 million sovereign loan from the French Development Agency (AFD) (EEAS).
When do construction works start, and who is implementing the project? Works are expected to start in 2027, with implementation led by Albania's Ministry of Infrastructure and Energy in cooperation with the National Water and Sewerage Agency (AKUK) (EEAS). For suppliers used to typical municipal-WWTP lead times of 18–36 months from contract award to mechanical completion, the practical procurement window opens in the run-up to the 2027 site start (general industry range, not from the sources).
What effluent standard is the plant being designed to? The project is framed as bringing Durrës' wastewater treatment up to EU standards, contributing to Albania's alignment with Chapter 27 of the EU accession negotiations, with treatment coverage rising from an estimated 20% to 85% (EEAS).
