- Piloting of the new primary sludge pumping well has begun
- The action aims to increase the capacity and performance of the primary treatment that avoids the discharge of untreated water to the pipeline and improves the quality of the effluent in rainy season and eliminate bad smells in the area
- The investment will be co-financed by 80% by the Next Generation funds of the European Union within the framework of the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan
The state-owned company Aguas de las Cuencas de España (ACUAES), of the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge, has begun work on renovating and improving the primary treatment of the Galindo treatment plant (Sestao) with a planned investment of 38.7 million euros.
This action, declared of general interest of the State, which has a period of execution of 40 months, aims to increase the capacity and performance of the primary treatment that prevents the discharge of untreated water to the pipeline and improves the quality of the effluent in rainy season, while eliminating bad smells in the area.
The work is focusing these days on the pilot screen that will support the EDAR primary sludge pit lifts, where the new facilities will be executed.
At the end of this work, the foundation work of lamellar decanters will continue, which consists of the transformation of four of the current primary decanters into eight lamellar ones, the construction of a physicochemical treatment for rainwater, followed by a sand-lasted decantation in three process lines.
It is also foreseen the covering of all the systems described and the implementation of the corresponding deodorization equipment of all the primary decantation
The works will make it possible to increase the amount of treated water coming from the rain before it is poured into the gully. This action is strategic for the Ría de Bilbao and will increase by 16% the purification capacity in the primary treatment of the current plant, significantly reducing the area of occupation. This improvement of the primary treatment will allow to attend storm flows in a plant with capacity for 1,000,000 equivalent inhabitants, leaving the purification needs of the metropolitan area of Bilbao covered for the coming years.
The investment will be co-financed by 80% by the Next Generation funds of the European Union within the framework of the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan. The remaining 20% will be financed by contributions from the Bilbao Bizkaia Water Consortium during the execution of the works, under the agreement signed with ACUAES in June 2022 for the execution, financing and exploitation of the works.