The European Investment Bank (EIB) and Dutch water utility Vitens have signed a €150 million ($176 million) loan agreement to future-proof the drinking water distribution network and increase water reserves over the next 10 years.
The investment will carry out parts of Vitens’ 2020-2024 investment program.
The funds will cover the renewal and upgrading of water treatment plants, reservoirs and pumping stations, as well as distribution networks and water meters. Increasing the water reserves would act as a buffer to extreme weather events.
“This kind of investment shows the added value that European Institutions can bring to the Netherlands,” said Els Sweeney-Bindels, head of the EIB’s Amsterdam office. “Hardly anyone is aware of the major investments that are needed for the upkeep of such high-quality water distribution networks as we know them in the Netherlands.”
Vitens is the largest water utility in the Netherlands. Having a statutory mo
