ASTANA, Kazakhstan, September 21. The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) will provide a sovereign-guaranteed loan of up to 47.7 billion tenge (about $100 million) for the benefit of the Aqtobe Su-Energy Group JSC to modernize wastewater (WW) treatment facilities in the city of Aktobe, Trend reports.
As reported by the bank, the loan will be used to finance the construction of a new wastewater treatment plant with an average capacity of 100,000 m3 per day, including a sludge treatment facility with biogas-fueled heat and an electricity generation unit.
"The project's main objective is to improve the quality of treated wastewater to meet national and EU standards. The project will be implemented in line with the national and EU standards for urban wastewater treatment, the EU requirements for sewage sludge management, the EU BAT, and the EU taxonomy requirements for such facilities. Once implemented, the project will also lead to a substantially reduced level of odor and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with WW treatment operations," the bank said.
The bank noted that the project has environmental and climate mitigation benefits. "Environmental benefits: the project will result in a higher quality of treated WW effluent at scale and return significant volumes of cleaner water back to the environment. Reduced contamination of groundwater and surface water represents an environmental benefit recognized under the GET handbook. Climate adaptation benefits: the return of improved-quality wastewater to the wider system against a background of water stress will help adapt local economies and communities to climate change impacts. Climate mitigation benefits: the anaerobic digestion sludge stabilization technology will generate biogas as a by-product. By turning biogas into electricity in-house, GHG-intensive external electricity provision will be displaced," the bank said.
The bank added that the total amount of the project is 56 billion tenge (about $117.4 million). Loan approval is expected on November 29, 2023.
The total value of the portfolio of current projects of the EBRD in Kazakhstan is $2.75 billion. Currently, the bank's portfolio includes 112 projects. In total, the London-based bank has invested about $10 billion in 310 projects in Kazakhstan.
