The Water Services Corporation is implementing a major infrastructure investment programme under the European Regional Development Fund and the Cohesion Fund 2021–2027. This programme addresses the increasing demand for water and wastewater services, ageing infrastructure, climate pressures, and evolving EU regulatory requirements, while building on previous EU-funded investments.
The ERDF-funded project, Towards a Sustainable and More Resilient Wastewater Sector for the Maltese Islands, aims to strengthen wastewater treatment and collection infrastructure across the Maltese Islands in order to meet current and future demand.
Key interventions include the upgrading of two wastewater treatment plants serving the Gozo and Malta North agglomerations, as well as major improvements to the wastewater collection network. These works include the replacement of ageing rising mains, the rehabilitation of trunk main sewers, the construction of new sewer galleries, trenchless works, and targeted measures to reduce seawater infiltration in low-lying sewer stretches. Collectively, these interventions will enhance system resilience, reduce environmental risks and support sustainable wastewater management for the coming decades.
The ERDF project has a total eligible public budget allocation of €55 million, co-financed at 60% by the European Union and 40% by the Government of Malta.
The CF-funded project, Enhancing Malta’s Resilience: Sustainable Potable Water Infrastructure for a Changing Climate, focuses on increasing water production capacity, bolstering water reserves and strengthening distribution systems.
Given Malta’s reliance on seawater desalination and groundwater resources, the project includes substantial upgrades at the Pembroke, Ċirkewwa and Lapsi Reverse Osmosis plants. These works will increase national water production capacity by approximately 35% spread over two phases. Upgrades include installing new high-efficiency pumps, membranes, energy recovery devices, and electrical systems, as well as borehole rehabilitation, improving both production output and energy efficiency.
The programme will also modernise Malta’s potable water distribution network by replacing ageing and undersized mains, upgrading primary network transfer lines, improving reservoir connectivity, and renewing corroded pipework at groundwater abstraction sites. These measures will collectively reduce leakage and friction losses, address rusty water quality issues and strengthen supply reliability.
Additional investments support enhanced water quality monitoring through improved laboratory capabilities and digital tools to optimise production and blending operations, alongside works to reduce saline intrusion at key groundwater pumping stations.
The CF project has a total eligible public budget allocation of €62 million, co-financed at 85% by the European Union and 15% by the Government of Malta.
The ERDF and CF investments jointly support a comprehensive upgrade of Malta’s water cycle infrastructure. This programme aims to boost treatment and production capacity, enhance operational efficiency, reinforce environmental safeguards, improve water quality monitoring, and ensure sustained compliance with EU regulations.
