Swiss Companies Rebuilding Ukraine: CHF 6.4 Million for Water Infrastructure Modernisation

The SECO water project in Ukraine targets one of the most basic public services: safe drinking water. Swiss technology company GWF AG will receive CHF 6.4 million to modernise water management in eastern Ukraine.

Lighthouse Legal Media | Swiss Companies Rebuilding Ukraine | Part III: Water. Also read Part I on energy and Part II on railways.

The SECO Water Project: Funding in Brief

On 2 October 2026, the Swiss Federal Council approved eight new reconstruction projects with Swiss companies. Together, they receive CHF 135 million in federal contributions. The projects cover three sectors: energy, transport and water.

GWF AG is the only company in the water sector. The Swiss federal contribution is CHF 6.4 million. In addition, GWF plans to invest CHF 0.7 million of its own funds. As a result, the total budget is about CHF 7.1 million, subject to the final contract.

Swiss federal contribution: CHF 6.4 million
Company contribution: CHF 0.7 million
Location: eastern Ukraine
Goal: better drinking water supply through modern water management

The SECO water project is part of SECO’s second call for projects with Swiss companies in Ukraine. SECO, the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs, is the Swiss federal centre for economic policy.

Why Drinking Water Is a Reconstruction Priority

Water rarely makes headlines in the same way as power grids or railways. Yet no community can truly recover without reliable drinking water. Hospitals, schools, businesses and households all depend on it.

A water system is a chain of connected parts. It includes sources, treatment plants, pumping stations, reservoirs, pipes, meters and control systems. If one part fails, the whole service suffers.

War puts this chain under heavy pressure. Utilities may struggle to keep water flowing, find leaks and react to breakdowns. For this reason, repairing pipes is only part of the job. Municipalities also need to run their systems reliably for years to come.

Who Is GWF AG?

GWF AG dates back to 1899 and has its headquarters in Lucerne. This Swiss family-owned company has more than 125 years of experience in measurement. Today, it works across water, gas, heat and electricity.

Over time, GWF has grown from a meter manufacturer into a provider of complete systems. Its product portfolio includes water meters, ultrasonic flow measurement and remote data collection. It also offers water-loss analysis, water-quality monitoring and software for utility operators.

In addition, GWF helps operators combine meters, communication networks and data tools into one system. Its website gives an overview of the company’s Swiss operations and solutions.

This mix of hardware and software matters. After all, accurate data is the basis of good network management.

What We Know About the SECO Water Project — and What We Don’t

According to SECO’s official list, the SECO water project aims to improve drinking water supply by modernising water management in eastern Ukraine. The region matters, because infrastructure there works under especially hard conditions.

However, the announcement is short. It does not name the municipalities or water utilities involved. It also does not list the equipment, the number of measuring points or the timeline.

Therefore, any discussion of specific technologies is an informed outlook, not a confirmed plan. The next sections describe what GWF can typically offer and what modern water systems generally need.

Smart Water Management: Why Measurement Matters

Every utility needs to answer three simple questions. How much water enters the network? How does it move through the pipes? And how much actually reaches customers?

The gaps between these numbers can have several causes. For example, water can leak from damaged pipes. Meters can also give wrong readings, and some losses are simply administrative.

Experts call this non-revenue water. It is water that a utility produces but cannot bill, because of leaks, measuring errors or unbilled use. Reducing avoidable losses saves resources and can ease the pressure on utility budgets.

GWF already offers tools for metering, remote data collection and water-loss analysis. Still, SECO has not said which products the SECO water project will use. In short, the benefit lies in better data and better decisions, but the exact gains are still unclear.

Digital Tools and the Resilience of Municipal Utilities

Digital systems are not a luxury add-on. In fact, they can directly affect how reliable a public service is.

With good monitoring, a utility can spot unusual pressure or flow early. It can then plan inspections and maintenance before a small problem turns into a major failure. This is especially useful when budgets and staff are tight.

Of course, software cannot replace physical repairs. Utilities still need to fix damaged pipes, treatment plants and pumps. Instead, measurement and monitoring add value on top of physical investment.

For this reason, results should guide the assessment: fewer interruptions, lower losses and better maintenance planning. So far, SECO and GWF have not published such targets for this project.

Water, Energy and Municipal Budgets

Water and energy go hand in hand. Pumping, treating and distributing water all need electricity. Consequently, a leaky network wastes both water and power.

This link matters even more in Ukraine. Attacks on the power grid regularly disrupt essential public services. In some cases, lower losses and better pressure control can also reduce energy use.

However, SECO does not present the GWF initiative as an energy-efficiency project. Nobody has announced any energy savings so far. Any financial assessment should therefore rest on real operating data, not on general assumptions.

The Role of Ukrainian Municipalities

In Ukraine, municipalities and their utilities usually run local water networks. International funding can pay for new equipment. But the long-term result depends on local capacity. Several conditions are typically important:

The technology must match the real needs of the utility.
New equipment must work with the existing infrastructure.
Local staff must be able to operate and maintain the systems.
The utility needs technical support and clear rules for managing digital data.

These are general requirements for sustainable water projects. They are not confirmed terms of the GWF contract, and SECO has not yet named the Ukrainian partners. Even so, the local level is where the investment will succeed or fail.

The Swiss Funding Model Behind the SECO Water Project

SECO designed the programme to meet urgent infrastructure needs in Ukraine with Swiss products and expertise. At the same time, it aims to strengthen cooperation with Ukrainian partners.

Each selected company must cover at least 10% of the project costs itself. For the SECO water project, this means CHF 0.7 million alongside CHF 6.4 million in federal support.

This model is neither a simple equipment sale nor a direct grant to a Ukrainian city. Instead, the Swiss company leads the implementation within a public programme. For companies that plan to join future calls, this raises practical questions. They include eligibility, local presence, partners, technical feasibility and compliance.

We looked at the wider picture in our analysis of how Swiss reconstruction money returns to Swiss companies.

What the SECO Water Project Means for Swiss–Ukrainian Cooperation

Installing meters or software is only the first step. Their real value depends on whether the utility uses the data well. That requires clear procedures, staff training, technical support and integration with existing systems.

Water is also more than an equipment market. In this sector, technology, public administration and long-term service obligations meet. Swiss firms with expertise in measurement and monitoring can help modernise these systems. Meanwhile, Ukrainian municipalities gain access to technology and experience that would otherwise be hard to obtain.

Finally, more transparency would help. Once the beneficiaries, scope and results become public, it will be easier to assess the real impact.

Conclusion: Water as a Foundation of Recovery

People will judge Ukraine’s reconstruction not only by the size of international pledges. Above all, they will look at whether basic services become more reliable. Access to clean drinking water is one of the clearest tests.

The SECO water project in Ukraine combines CHF 6.4 million from Switzerland with CHF 0.7 million from GWF. It is a targeted investment in the east of the country. It also shows a clear direction: combine infrastructure investment with tools that help manage scarce resources.

For Ukrainian municipalities, the goal is not just new equipment. Rather, it is a stronger capacity to deliver safe and reliable water. Ultimately, the quality of the service matters more than the technology behind it.

This article completes our three-part series Swiss Companies Rebuilding Ukraine. Read Part I: CHF 78.1 million for energy and Part II: CHF 44.9 million for railways.

Sources and Further Reading

Editorial note: Funding figures, project location and the official objective come from SECO’s list of selected projects dated 2 October 2026. The discussion of smart metering, digital monitoring and water-loss management draws on GWF’s publicly described capabilities. We have not independently confirmed which technologies the Ukrainian project will use. The financial contributions are rounded and subject to final contractual agreement.