The wastewater plant contract, which amounts to a 20 year concession to build and operate the wastewater treatment plant, is valued at €102 million before construction costs. The design and build of the plant will be contracted out by Veolia Water to Veolia Water Solutions and Technologies (a subsidiary of Veolia Water) and Ternois.
The plant, which is expected to become operational around 3 years after the order for local studies has been given, will supply water to the Chartres Metropole area, with an equivalent population of 164,000. The nearby Chartres Cathedral and the architectural importance of the area means that the plant must blend perfectly into the local landscape. Buildings on the site will be covered with greenery and odour control will be supplied by biological and physical-chemical air treatment units.
The wastewater plant will operate a low-load based activated sludge treatment, producing high quality treated water and using less energy and chemicals. As the sludge will be stabilised by digestion, the biogas generated by the digestion will contribute to the renewable energy used at the wastewater plant.
