Russian Cities to Receive EBRD Loan for Water Treatment Projects

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has approved infrastructure loans for the Russian cities of Lipetsk and Vologda to modernise their district heating and water treatment systems.

The ten-year, €19.2m credit is part of the EBRD’s total investments of €750m ($1.05bn) for the renewal of the municipal infrastructure in Russia over the past 14 years.

Vologda has received a loan of €11.6m ($16m) for urgent work on its district heating network, while Lipetsk has been granted a loan of €7.7m ($10.8m) to renovate its main wastewater treatment plant.

In Lipetsk, the fund from EBRD will be used to reduce the contamination of the Voronezh River and the Volga-Don basin, allowing the city’s main wastewater plant to achieve compliance with EU effluent discharge standards as well as Russian regulatory requirements.