German water and wastewater technology as an export hit
In 2023, German manufacturers exported water and wastewater technology worth a total of almost 1.3 billion euros. That exceeded the previous record year of 2022 by a further 5.5%, as the German Mechanical Engineering Industry Association recently reported. The country with the highest percentage growth in exports from Germany was Spain. As a global region, North Africa recorded the greatest positive change. Accordingly, two experts for the country markets of Spain and Morocco/Mauritania will be speaking at the event “Water – A Scarce Resource. Business Opportunities for German Companies Worldwide”, organized by the foreign trade agency Germany Trade & Invest. The panel discussion on May 13, 2024 is part of the event program at the international environmental technology trade fair IFAT Munich. https://ifat.de/en/application/session/water-scarce-ressource-business-opportunities-german- companies-worldwide
Emission-free drives for waste collection vehicles
Of the 12,000 or so waste collection vehicles currently in operation across Germany, around 150 are powered by fuel cells. “That makes Germany an international pioneer. As far as the hydrogen technology used in our waste collection vehicles is concerned, we are in a constant process of improvement. We find ourselves in an extremely exciting field here, comparable to the situation with the development of diesel engines 100 years ago” says Burkard Oppmann, Managing Director of IFAT Munich exhibitor FAUN Umwelttechnik. Adding that a suitable funding framework is, however, currently still lacking for even broader market penetration. A panel discussion organized by the Verband kommunaler Unternehmen e.V. at IFAT Munich on May 13, 2024, will provide more information on the status of alternative drives in the waste and municipal sector and on current funding programs. https://ifat.de/en/application/session/focus-alternative-drives-and-funding-programmes
More than 40 billion euros for Ukraine’s water sector
Back in July 2022, Ukraine already estimated in its National Reconstruction Plan that investments of around 40 billion euros would be required to modernize the water supply and wastewater disposal by 2032. Due to the ongoing Russian war of aggression, it can be assumed that this figure will have to be revised upward by a considerable amount. The high level of investment required is due, on the one hand, to expenditure for providing emergency supplies to the population and rebuilding destroyed water management infrastructure. On the other, Ukraine’s wastewater management is to be adapted to EU standards and agricultural irrigation updated.
At IFAT Munich, the foreign trade agency Germany Trade & Invest will address the “Opportunities and Challenges of the Recovery of the Ukrainian Water Supply” at a panel discussion on May 14, 2024. The discussion will also include outlining project opportunities using best practice examples. https://ifat.de/en/application/session/opportunities-and-challenges-recovery-ukrainian-water- supply
