The European Investment Bank (EIB) has agreed to help Ukraine attract funds for the construction of a water intake from the Southern Bug River and a main water pipeline to the southern city of Mykolaiv, Ukraine Primer Minister Denys Shmyhal said Thursday in a post on Telegram.
"We already have preliminary agreements with partners, in particular with the European Investment Bank, to attract donor funds for this project, so we count on its quick implementation," Shmyhal said.
Shmyhal said the cost of the project is estimated at UAH 8.8 billion ($213 million).
Mykolayiv has faced severe water supply issues since the start of the Russian invasion. In April 2022, Russian forces destroyed key infrastructure, cutting off access to potable water from the Dnipro River.
Shmyhal noted that a technical solution was found in supplying Mykolayiv with water from the Ingulets River, for which the government allocated UAH 384 million this year.
In December 2023, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) approved a €10 million loan to Mykolayiv to revamp the aging water supply and treatment infrastructure. The total project cost stood at €33 million, with the remainder of the funding coming from Denmark, the Eastern Europe Energy Efficiency and Environment Partnership, and local contributions.
Before the war, Mykolayiv had a population of about 470,000.
