Waterkracht: Circular water use in Antwerp port area

Transforming Antwerp wastewater into reusable cooling energy for port operators

From 2025, Ekopak, Aquafin, water-link and PMV will upgrade the wastewater of 270 000 Antwerp households into cooling water for port companies. With this project, named Waterkracht, they will give the city's wastewater a new purpose.

Finding a new destination for (treated) wastewater on a large scale is not always easy. That is why Ekopak, Aquafin, water-link and PMW are joining forces to treat the waste water of 270 000 households in Antwerp and give it a new destination in companies in the Antwerp port area.

The West Flanders company Ekopak, which offers solutions for water treatment and reduction of water consumption, will build and operate a high-tech cooling water plant in the port. The plant will be in the NextGen district, on the former Opel site that was converted into a circular hub.

Aquafin will supply water from 600 000 Antwerp residents to the plant, where Ekopak will filter it using smart membrane technology. Water-link will ensure that the water then flows on to companies in the Antwerp port industry where it will be reused. Participatiemaatschappij Vlaanderen (PMV) is financing the project, which will save around 20 billion litres of water annually.

Antwerp is the first city in the world to launch this project. The initiative will be an example that can later be applied in other cities. It shows that circularity is possible on a large scale when the right partners join forces.