Sofiyska Voda – in 2.5 years we exceeded the Business Plan targets

- The quality of potable water exceeds the statutory requirements - Sofiyska Voda, operated by Veolia, introduced a new customer service standard - Over 600 km of water and sewer network were constructed and repaired, while intensely introducing digital services

After the first two and a half years of Business Plan 2017-2021 Sofiyska Voda, operated by Veolia, not only meets the key performance indicators set by the Energy and Water Regulatory Commission but under many of them, it has achieved even higher results.
 


“During those two and a half years of Business Plan 2017-2021 the entire Sofiyska Voda team worked hard and purposefully in the direction of digitalization and modernization – of the network, of customer service, of the facilities, of the infrastructure. We achieved more than we had promised for the period, we know that more challenges are coming up, a lot of work is yet to be done. We wish - at the same pace and with the ambitions of being the biggest operator in Bulgaria - to become one of the best WSS operators in the region – with excellent services, guaranteed quality of the water and increasing customer confidence,” commented Vasil Trenev, Executive Director of Sofiyska Voda.
The company’s taking stock of the period shows that the quality of the potable water exceeds the requirements of the regulatory bodies and the compliance rate is steadily over 99.22%. Very recently as proof of this Sofiyska Voda became the first water operator in the country to receive registration by the Ministry of Environment and Water and by the European Commission under the Eco-Management and Audit Scheme – EMAS. This is a recognition of the application of the highest European environmental standards.
We are working intensely on the renewal of the water supply and sewerage infrastructure of the capital. Over the period 2010-2018, 590 km of water mains have been constructed or rehabilitated as well as 84 km of sewers, including the rehabilitated and new connections to them, by which the total length of the WSS network in Sofia already exceeds 5,500 km, approximately three times the distance between Sofia and Madrid. As a result of the engineering activities and the intense preventative works which Sofiyska Voda has been implementing the number of leaks has been reduced by more than 12% over the period.
For the five-year period (2017 – 2021) investments in the size of 209 mln. BGN have been projected, and for 2019 they amount to 46.3 mln. BGN. For comparison – the company’s own investments for 2017 exceed the invested in the sector through OP “Environment” of the European Union. Other than in the WSS network, there are intense investments in innovations and modernization of the facilities. A large investment project of the company is the construction of a new methane tank in the wastewater treatment plant near Kubratovo with value 6.5 mln. BGN. The construction has already begun and it is expected for the new facility to contribute to even greater energy independence of the entire company with the “green energy” produced.
The Customer Charter comes into force from today – the first one for a WSS operator in Bulgaria. Through it Sofiyska Voda, operated by Veolia, commits to improving the quality of the service to its customers. Specific deadlines are set in it – e.g. to respond to a signal in up to 2 hrs, possibility for deferred payments etc. Even for the past 2 years and a half the company already has introduced a lot of innovations for customer convenience, including free 24-hour phone line, mobile customer service centre, modern and functional new locations of the customer service centres, possibility to manage water consumption via smart water meters and many others.
 
Some of the projects, which are being implemented at the moment or are about to take place:
  • Completed detailed hydraulic model of the water supply network of the Municipality of Sofia;
  • Pressure management system of one of the main strategic water mains of the Municipality of Sofia, the so-called III Water Ring Main, as well as the so-called Industrial Water Main;  
  • Repair of “Pod Simeonovo” reservoir, which will ensure reliable and continuous water supply to Mladost and Studentski regions; 
  • Overhaul (reinforcement of the structure and replacement of the roof structure) of the Filter House in the potable water treatment plant near Pancharevo in the amount of more than 1.5 million BGN;
  • Outflow sewers along „Filip Kutev“ St. and „Hizhite“ St. with diameters 1800 mm and 1200 mm, made of fibreglass;
  • Тrunk sewer in “Moderno Predgradie” r.q. along “Stoyan Dunyov” St. was constructed, which allows the development of sewer network in this part of the capital;
  • Sewer projects along “Gen. Parensov” St. and “Ivan Vazov” St. in the centre of the city;
  • Execution of repair of the water chambers of one of the main reservoirs – “Konyovitsa” (3 chambers with a total capacity of 26,000 m3);
  • The construction of Main Sewer Branch 4 in “Gorublyane” r.q. continues -  it is the final stage of connecting households to the network;
  • The construction of the separate sewer network in “Benkovski” r.q. continues;
  • The repair of II Water Ring Main and its parallel water mains is about to be completed. They will ensure the long-term reliable water supply of Kremikovtsi, Novi Iskar, Serdika, Nadezhda and Vrabnitsa municipal regions;  
  • Together with the University of Architecture, Civil Engineering and Geodesy a project for survey of the actual water consumption per capita is being implemented;
  • Nearly 40,000 water meters were brought into line with the metrological requirements;
  • 220 water service connections with a total length of more than 8 km were replaced proactively;
  • 799 leaks were detected as result of the activities of the Sofiyska Voda teams and other more than 11,000 were repaired owing to the quick response of the company;
  • The leaks were reduced by more than 800 as compared to the 2016 levels;
  • In total, more than 1,500 stop valves and fire hydrants were replaced or installed;
  • Water losses were reduced by more than 10 million m3 compared to the 2016 levels;
  • Disinfection of the raw water at the inlet of the potable water treatment plant near Bistritsa with UV rays will be introduced soon. 
  • Software for monitoring the volumes supplied to the water network will be implemented soon.