(Finance) – Increasing the efficiency, security of supply and resilience of the water and wastewater service in the Province of Como. These are the main objectives of the 50 million loan granted by the European Investment Bank (EIB) to Como Acqua Srl, public company that supplies the integrated water service to around 500,000 people. In detail, the investment program for the period 2023-2026 provides for a series of interventions distributed in the 147 municipalities of the Como Acqua service area aimed at modernizing water and wastewater infrastructures and increasing operational efficiency, helping to reduce water losses and improve energy efficiency. In addition, interventions are planned for the rehabilitation, expansion and optimization of water treatment plants, water networks and sewer lines, as well as wastewater treatment plants and digital infrastructure, including the integrated telemetry system.
The financing granted by the European Union’s climate bank also aims to increase the resilience of the water service against futures extreme weather eventssuch as droughts, through investments in grid efficiency, interconnection of water systems and management of water resources.
“This loan represents an important step forward to improve the quality and sustainability of the water service in Lombardy – he said Andrea Clerici, EIB Head of Infrastructure, Energy and Public Sector Financing in Italy –. Thanks to the support of the European Union’s climate bank, Como Acqua Srl will be able to successfully carry out its investment plan, guaranteeing a reliable, efficient and resilient integrated water service in the Province of Como”.
“The support from the EIB is concrete confirmation of the level of growth of the company, if we consider the type of subjects who are given access to this type of relationship on the banking front – he comments Enrico Pezzoli, president and CEO of Como Acqua –. I sincerely thank all the shareholders, because only the sharing of intentions and perspectives allows significant steps. Furthermore, my gratitude should be extended to all those who work with commitment and responsibility every day to ensure that Como Acqua is increasingly performing in its fundamental mission of protecting the right to access drinking water”.
There BEIas a climate bank of the European Union, is one of the largest financiers of the water sector worldwide, with more than 1,600 projects and approximately 80 billion euro of loans disbursed from 1958 to today. Between 2016 and 2022, Italy was the largest beneficiary of EIB resources dedicated to the water sector. During this period, the EIB has financed 40 operations for a total of 2.9 billion euros in the country, helping to activate investments of around 8.9 billion