Berliners have paid a net EUR 1.694 per cubic metre for drinking water since 1 January 2014. Keeping it there has cost the state EUR 198.2 million in profit it chose not to take from Berliner Wasserbetriebe (BWB) over 2024–2026. No decision on 2027 charges had been published by 26 October, and the next Senate will make it.
How the freeze is paid for
The Senate gave up EUR 57.8 million of BWB profit in each of 2024 and 2025, and EUR 82.6 million for 2026, a decision taken on 16 September 2025. BWB's revenue still rose to EUR 1,343.4 million in 2025, up EUR 36.8 million with charges unchanged.
A weaker balance sheet
BWB reported a 2025 result of minus EUR 149.8 million after writing off the goodwill from its remunicipalisation. It says operating EBIT, adjusted for that write-off, matched previous years. Equity fell from EUR 2,272.0 million to EUR 2,005.6 million, and liabilities rose from EUR 5,013.2 million to EUR 5,235.1 million. The equity ratio dropped from 27.1% to 24.3%. Over the same year, BWB invested EUR 589 million, and it plans EUR 1.5 billion for its treatment plants.
The election changes who decides
The 20 September 2026 election cost the CDU-SPD coalition its majority. Die Linke came first with 25.7% of the vote. The Greens and SPD have voted to open coalition talks with Die Linke, which decides at a party conference on 31 October. Charges are approved by a Senate department, and the state's take from BWB is a Senate decision, so the new coalition will set both.
What the report covers
Where Berlin's water comes from, and why the Spree's flow will fall when lignite mining ends. Which waterworks are being reopened, and when. How BWB's conflicting timelines for its fourth treatment stage, 2027, 2028 and 2032, compare.
The full report, Berlin City Intelligence Profile, is available for USD 99 at https://ourfuturewaterintelligence.com/reports/berlin-city-intelligence-profile. For a free overview, see https://ourfuturewaterintelligence.com/cities/berlin.