At the end of November 2025, teams from Fernwasser Elbaue-Ostharz (FEO) and Stadtentwässerung Dresden GmbH (SEDD) traveled to the Republic of Moldova to visit their partner Apă-Canal Chișinău on site. The aim of the trip was to deepen cooperation, exchange experiences, and work together on solutions to current challenges.
Workshops and professional exchange
During the working visit, the focus was on operations, asset management, pricing, and corporate communications.
During the workshops, the teams from Apă-Canal Chișinău demonstrated great openness and commitment. The workshop on tariff design discussed existing regulations and the challenges they pose, while also highlighting opportunities for adapting best practices from Germany to local conditions. The workshop on corporate communications focused on internal and external communications, customer service, and complaint management. This led to a lively exchange on specific solutions such as digitized meter reading systems and more efficient processes.
The workshops were followed by a presentation on asset management, in which the existing plant infrastructure was presented and FEO’s fundamental tasks and approach were discussed together.
Technical inspections: Focus on drinking water and wastewater
Extensive technical inspections took place on November 26, 2025. In the drinking water sector, the inspection included visits to the S-1 pumping station, the drinking water treatment plant, the dispatcher center, and the drinking water laboratory. The focus was on quality monitoring, risk management, quality assurance, and energy consumption. Serious problems came to light, including dilapidated infrastructure, a lack of redundancy, and high chlorine levels in some cases.
Regarding wastewater, the sewage treatment plant was visited and an accompanying workshop was held. The topics discussed were the completion of the ongoing installation work and the commissioning of further plant components. The key question remains whether additional funds should be invested in completing the existing plant or whether a completely new plant should be built in accordance with EU standards. A reliable analysis of the current situation is essential for this, also in view of liability issues. The current construction standstill poses a considerable challenge, as the plant does not comply with EU standards in its current state.
Despite existing challenges, local employees showed great motivation to work closely with partners and jointly develop solutions for their own operations.
In addition to workshops and site visits, the operators had the opportunity to visit the GIZ country office Moldova and exchange ideas with the local development cooperation officer. Project priorities, financing issues, and possible approaches to cooperation were discussed—an exchange that was perceived by the partners as a strong sign of appreciation.
As is particularly important during such working visits, this trip also offered plenty of opportunity for personal encounters and direct discussions. The open exchange—both in the workshops and outside the official program—strengthened mutual understanding of the respective conditions and working realities. Trust was further deepened and the foundation for a long-term partnership and cooperation was strengthened.
Concrete next steps have already been agreed upon for further cooperation. These include the gradual commissioning and further development of the facilities, accompanying training for employees, and improvements in operational processes. In addition, a return visit by the Apă-Canal Chișinău team to Torgau and Dresden is planned for April 2026 to further deepen the technical exchange.
Further information about this partnership: Apă-Canal Chișinău – Stadtentwässerung Dresden – Fernwasserversorgung Elbaue-Ostharz – Betreiberplattform