Tirana’s water utility, Ujesjelles Kanalizime Tirana (UKT), received EBRD financing to improve water supply in Albania’s capital. The project was approved on 14 February 2018 and is a sub-project of the EBRD Green Cities Framework. Its stated aims were to make the water system more resilient, support a 24-hour supply target by 2021 and reduce operating costs by relying more on gravity-fed water rather than pumped groundwater.1
The project was structured as a loan of up to €30 million in two tranches. The first, of up to €15 million, was intended to expand the Bovilla Water Treatment Plant and build a pipeline carrying water by gravity from the plant to north-west Tirana. The second tranche was left uncommitted pending a strategic water-resources study, which was to compare supply-side options, such as developing new sources, with demand-side measures, including network rehabilitation and flow and pressure monitoring.1
The financing was paired with institutional work. The project included a corporate development programme to strengthen UKT’s operations and financial sustainability, and preparation of a public service contract between the utility and the city to improve predictability and accountability.14 As part of the Green Cities approach, Tirana’s Green City Action Plan was intended to identify and rank environmental challenges and guide investment priorities; the city completed the plan in April 2018.13
The EBRD project page lists the status as “Repaying” and reports EBRD finance of €14,202,015.44, against a total project cost of €17,202,015.1 The available sources describe the project’s objectives and financing, but do not establish whether the original 2021 target of continuous supply was achieved.