The Brno Waterworks and Sewerage Company (BVK), a joint venture in which SUEZ holds a 46% stake alongside the City of Brno, has initiated the construction of a new sludge treatment line at the Brno - Modřice wastewater treatment plant (WWTP). This facility, owned and operated by BVK, caters to over 400,000 residents in Brno and its surrounding areas, treating an impressive 35 million cubic meters of wastewater annually.

The ambitious project entails the development of new structures and technologies aimed at enhancing the entire process of sludge thickening, anaerobic digestion, dewatering, and drying. A key aspect of the new treatment process is the full utilization of the energy potential within the sludge to produce biogas, which will be converted into heat and electricity to meet 65% of the plant's energy requirements. Additionally, solar panels will be installed to contribute an extra 5% toward the facility’s energy consumption.

To improve sludge recovery from wastewater treatment, the new drying process will significantly reduce sludge volumes by up to 60%. The dried sludge will then be repurposed for energy production in local cement manufacturing, minimizing the environmental impact of transportation. This on-site treatment will result in a 60% reduction in the number of truck trips required to transport sludge from the WWTP.

The total cost of the project is estimated at €140 million (CZK 3.5 billion), with financing secured through long-term bank loans from the European Investment Bank, the Council of Europe Development Bank, and Komerční banka a.s. This funding is complemented by a subsidy from the State Fund for Environmental Protection and SUEZ.

Paul Bourdillon, CEO Europe and Central Asia at SUEZ, expressed his enthusiasm about the project's commencement, stating, “We are very happy to have laid the foundation stone of this new sludge treatment line for the Brno – Modřice wastewater treatment plant. SUEZ has been operating in Brno for more than 30 years, and this new project is a testament to the solid partnership we have built with the city. With high levels of operational performance, especially in network performance and customer satisfaction, BVK is a benchmark player in water management in the Czech Republic. This partnership illustrates SUEZ’s commitment to enabling its customers to create value over the entire lifecycle of their assets.”