Finland to allocate neighbouring area funds to finance major Neva Project protecting the Baltic Sea
Press release 153/2009
2 June, 2009
Following the decision by Paavo Väyrynen, Minister for Foreign Trade and Development, Finland is to participate with a significant amount in the Neva waste water management project, i.e. in the closure project of direct discharges in St. Petersburg. This decision covering the financing of the project with EUR 1.9 million will make Finland’s total project financing mount up to EUR 3.5 million.
The Neva Project is part of a wider waste water treatment investment programme taking place in 2007-2012. Finland and Sweden have earlier participated in financing the preparation of the Programme. The Project is financed from the EU’s Nordic Dimension Environmental Partnership funds with EUR 30 million.
The decision on financing the Neva waste water project is in line with Finland’s Baltic Sea Programme objectives and it is a priority project in the environmental sector in the neighbouring area cooperation. The project is a cost-effective way of cutting down direct discharges originating from the city of St. Petersburg ending in the Gulf of Finland. Thanks to the project, the direct discharges will be cut down by 60% which corresponds to the equivalent of the waste water generated by slightly over one million people. When the Neva Project is implemented, 94% of the St. Petersburg waste water will be treated according to the recommendations of the HELCOM (Helsinki Commission on the Baltic Marine Environment Protection).
The Finnish funds will be allocated to the equipment deliveries of the pumping station which will be built in the sewerage tunnels, as well as to the rebuilding of the central plant of the waste water treatment in St. Petersburg. The financing will be directed to Finnish services, deliveries and contracts and the project is managed by the Ministry of the Environment. The letter of intent on the Neva Project is meant to be signed in June.
More information: Special Advisor to the Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Ossi Martikainen, tel. +358 40 592 6769, Counsellor Anneli Puura-Märkälä, Ministry for Foreign Affairs, tel. +358 9 1605 5625 and Counsellor Kristiina Isokallio, Ministry of the Environment, tel. +358 50 5819 618