Overview
- SachsenEnergie has named Hochtief as general contractor and confirmed the project will cost more than €300 million with the State of Saxony contributing €100 million and the City of Dresden €50 million.
- The plant is planned on the Übigau site to deliver up to 67,000 cubic meters of process water per day and to route supplies to northern Dresden chip factories via two underground pipelines from the end of 2030.
- SachsenEnergie says 80–90% of used water will be treated through city drainage and returned to the Elbe and that extractions would be below 0.23% of river flow at low water, measures presented to limit environmental impact.
- Local reporting says construction work could begin from mid-2027 and interim upgrades at the Hosterwitz waterworks will expand capacity until the new plant comes online.
- Supporters argue the waterworks will protect jobs and municipal revenues by making Dresden more reliable for major chip investments and SachsenEnergie reports interest from other countries, suggesting the project could be a model for industrial water supply.