THE BLOG

Haliotis 2 station in Nice, the largest wastewater treatment project in France.

On Thursday, April 20, 2023, in Nice, Christian Estrosi, Mayor of Nice, President of the Nice Côte d’Azur Metropolis, Deputy President of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur Region, and Sabrina Soussan, CEO of SUEZ, presented the future state-of-the-art wastewater treatment and valorization complex for the Nice Côte d’Azur Metropolis: Haliotis 2, the largest project in France and one of the largest in Europe.

Representing a market of 700 million euros, the new station will meet future environmental and health standards, as well as the future needs of the community. It will treat wastewater from 26 municipalities, equivalent to 680,000 inhabitants.

Haliotis 2 will be a true “all-in-one” European hub for cutting-edge technologies serving the ecological transition to treat and reuse wastewater, eliminate all types of pollutants including microplastics, treat sewage sludge, sand, air quality, while generating new sources of renewable energy (biomethane, solar, heating and cooling for buildings).

The water treatment performance of Haliotis 2 will exceed health standards, with almost 90% of microplastics being removed by the station.

It will have an industrial unit for the Reuse of Treated Wastewater capable of recycling 5 million cubic meters of water per year, which is the total amount needed for watering green spaces and cleaning the streets in the city of Nice.

Haliotis 2 will also be exemplary in terms of energy, as it will contribute to the decarbonization of the region. It will produce four times more energy than it consumes today. It will enable optimal energy recovery of sludge from wastewater treatment and produce the biomethane needed for the energy consumption of 11,000 households or the equivalent of 290 buses. The complementary energy potential of the dried sludge will be fully exploited at the Ariane Energy Recovery Unit in Nice through its district heating network. Finally, the calorific potential of the treated wastewater will be put to use through the district heating network that will supply the Nice Côte d’Azur Airport and the Grand Arénas area.

The project also aims to create a remarkable urban and landscape development at the entrance of the city with 4.5 hectares of biodiversity made up of 600 trees, hedges, and Mediterranean scrubland.

The start of the construction work is scheduled for the beginning of the second half of 2024, with a gradual commissioning from 2025 to 2030. This phasing will ensure the continuity of the public water treatment service throughout the duration of the construction work.

For Christian Estrosi: “The water resource is a major issue of our century, especially for our region. It is our duty to do everything we can to preserve it. This future complex, a first in France, will allow us to meet the challenges of the coming decades and give our metropolis a head start. It will contribute significantly to achieving the objectives of our Climate Plan, which aims to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions by 55% by 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.”

For Sabrina Soussan, CEO of SUEZ: “Haliotis 2 is a testament to the visionary ambition of the Nice Côte d’Azur Metropolis in favor of ecological transition and SUEZ’s ability to design and develop large-scale projects. Haliotis 2 will be an environmental reference. It will combine the reduction of microplastics, the reuse of treated wastewater, and the production of green and local energy. A technological performance that meets the challenges of the coming years in terms of water quality, circular economy, and decarbonization.”