The business trip of the delegation from Entsorgungsbetriebe Lübeck (EBL) to Sarandë, Albania, took place from 22 April to 25 April 2025. The aim was to kick off the partnership with the Regional Water Utility Sarandë (RWUS) in the field of wastewater treatment, to take stock of the local wastewater treatment plant by EBL employees and to agree on topics for future cooperation.
Employees of EBL and RWUS, accompanied by an employee of the Albanian National Authority for Water (AKUK) and employees of GIZ, visited the wastewater treatment plant in Sarandë and met the local mayor Oltion Caçi.
Expert exchange on unique challenges
In addition, expert presentations and subsequent discussions focussed on the following topics:
- Realistic possibilities for improving and optimising the wastewater treatment plant,
- Specific opportunities for Albanian technicians and engineers to specialise at EBL,
- RWUS structures, including legal form, responsibilities between the state authority AKUK and local operators, internal decision-making processes, investments and skilled labour.
Key topics for cooperation opportunities
Possible topics for cooperation within the joint Water Operator Partnership (WOP) were defined as:
- Establishment of measurement technology and long-term recording of measurement data, whereby EBL can support RWUS in installing the existing flow meters and concluding a data logger to store data in the long term. The technology is protected against the weather and RWUS employees are trained to collect, analyse and store data.
- Expansion of in-house repair and spare parts storage capacities, whereby RWUS employees will be able to repair spare parts after training in Lübeck in order to speed up troubleshooting.
Getting to know each other personally enabled EBL and RWUS employees to discuss the next steps and future communication formats in their collaboration. The current challenges could be defined more precisely through the local stocktaking and informal discussions strengthened the relationship of trust.
