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On 21 November 2022, AACC organised a company visit to ebswien sewage water treatment plant, Vienna’s wastewater treatment plant in charge of cleaning the city's entire wastewater flow. Coordinated by AACC Secretary General Mr. Mouddar Khouja, the high‑level delegation consisted of Secretary-General of the Union of Arab Chambers H.E. Dr. Khaled Hanafi, the Ambassador of the Sultanate of Oman to Austria H.E. Mr. Yousuf Aljabri, in addition to Mr. Jamal Al-Jaber, Minister Plenipotentiary at the Embassy of the State of Qatar in Vienna, Mr. Abdelkhalek Medjeber, Counsellor at the Embassy of the People's Republic of Algeria in Vienna, Dr. Zahim Muslim, Counsellor at the Embassy of the Republic of Iraq in Vienna, and Mr. Mohammed Hanafy, Second Secretary at the Embassy of the Arab Republic of Egypt in Vienna.
The delegates were warmly welcomed by DI Dr. Markus Reichel, Deputy Project Leader and Officer-in-charge for energy issues at ebswien, who provided a thorough insight to the plant and its sewer systems, stating that the plant receives approximately 6,000 litres of wastewater per second and can handle up to 18,000 litres per second. These effluents initially pass through a mechanical treatment stage, which is followed by two biological treatment stages modelled on nature. Mr. Reichel then elaborated on the city’s strategies to provide energy for the purification process by raising energy efficiency and using different sources of renewable energy such as solar, wind power and hydraulic energy. He also introduced the EOS project (Energy Optimisation Sludge Treatment) realised from 2015 – 2020 as an important contribution to ecological sustainability and climate protection in Vienna. Wastewater treatment at such a high level is an energy-devouring process, for which ebswien needs roughly 1% of Vienna's overall electricity consumption.
Since 2020, ebswien generates more renewable energy on site than it actually needs for its own wastewater treatment operations “With 111% self-covering ratio for electricity and 171% self-covering ratio for thermal energy, the wastewater treatment plant has become a self-sufficient eco-power plant”, concluded Reichel.
Following the presentation, the delegates were invited to a tour through the plant site to get a closer look at the dimensions of the plant and its functions.
AACC would like to express its sincere gratitude to H.E. DI Omar Al-Rawi, member of the Viennese government and member of AACC Board of Directors, and DI Günther Schmalzer from ebswien management, for supporting this company visit.
Categories: Reports
