Press Release - September 2026

• The aggregate turnover of companies engaged in the operation of water treatment plants reached €1.58 billion in 2025, after recording growth of 7.8%, amid accelerating activity.

• The 5,000 urban WWTPs in operation treated a total of 5,880 cubic hectometres. New regulatory requirements and the accumulated shortcomings in water infrastructure will require a significant investment effort in the coming years.

• INFORMA's DBK Sectoral Observatory recently published these insights in the 'Water Treatment Plants' Special Report.

Madrid, 3 September 2026.- According to INFORMA's (Cesce's subsidiary) DBK Sectoral Observatory—a leading provider of business, financial, sectoral, and marketing information in Spain and Portugal—aggregate revenue generated by companies engaged in the operation of water treatment plants in the domestic market stood at €1.58 billion in 2025, up 7.8% year-on-year; in the previous year, the change was 6.2%.

Thus, the last two years saw a notable acceleration in turnover growth compared with previous years, reflecting factors such as the recovery in rainfall, the dynamism of tourism activity, and tariff updates amid rising costs and a tightening regulatory framework.

In addition, the incorporation of advanced technologies is improving operating efficiency, while the marketing of treated sludge and reclaimed water is supporting the generation of additional income.

Total flow treated by the 5,000 urban WWTPs currently in operation is estimated to have reached 5,880 cubic hectometres in the last year, up 2.3% from 2024, reinforcing its upward trend.

Growing legislative requirements in the area of sewerage and wastewater treatment, especially those arising from the new Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive (UWWTD), will raise treatment needs and drive sector activity in the coming years. This is compounded by the accumulated shortcomings in water infrastructure, the result of historically insufficient resource allocations.

This context will require a significant investment effort aimed at expanding treatment capacity and modernising existing facilities. In addition, the greater technical complexity of the planned projects will help push up the average contract value.

Services for operating wastewater treatment plants show a notable degree of concentration. In 2025, the top five operators jointly accounted for 52% of sector turnover; the top ten, 66%.

Data Synthesis

(a) corresponds to companies' revenue from wastewater treatment in Spain