Loan and grant financing contracts for the new wastewater disposal project in Podgorica were signed on 22 September 2017.

The Minister of Finance and the Minister of Sustainable Development and Tourism of Montenegro, the German Ambassador, and representatives from the Delegation of the European Union, the City of Podgorica, the waterworks company, and KfW attended the ceremony. The Minister of Finance and the Minister of Sustainable Development and Tourism emphasized the outstanding importance of the project for the environment sector in Montenegro.

The project encompasses the construction of a new wastewater treatment plant, including sludge incineration facilities, and major investments in the sewer network of Podgorica. The new facilities will ensure adequate collection and treatment of the wastewater generated by Podgorica, which is now serviced by a 1970s plant, well under the capacity and level of treatment required by the current demand. Consequently, about 50% of the effluent is discharged directly into the Moraca River and then, further on, into the Skadar Lake - a Ramsar wetland area of international importance, jointly managed by Montenegro and Albania.

This environment sector project is the first to receive a WBIF investment grant. The support has been made possible by the Bilateral Donors' pledges to the WBIF Joint Fund in December 2016.

More details on the project can be found here.