EUROPE WATER NEWS IN BRIEF

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* Glasgow-based water and sewerage operator Aimera has become the fifth company to offer water services to businesses in Scotland under the competition regime, while Wessex Water has also applied for a water and sewerage licence.

Ofwat, meanwhile, has granted Scotland’s Business Stream a retail licence to supply eligible business customers in England and Wales.

* The European Commission has warned Spain it will ask the European Court of Justice to impose daily fines for failure to adequately treat wastewater discharged into the Albufera Nature Park in Valencia unless remedial action is taken within two months. Spain already has a suspended €20 million fine for discharging untreated wastewater into the Vigo estuary in Galicia.

* The association of Italian water operators, Federutility, has announced it will appeal an EU decision to request a €400 million refund from publicly owned operators that wrongly received state aid from the Italian government in the late 1990s. Federutility says it will also sue the Italian government for failing to negotiate effectively with the European Commission.

* The Italian environment minister, Stefania Prestigiacomo, has issued a decree appointing the three governmentnominated members of the new Water Services Commission, which replaces the COVIRI committee. The decree also details how Italian water operators should pay back customers in respect of undue wastewater treatment charges.

* Thames Water had issued a £55 million index-linked bond due in October 2042. The A3-rated deal pays a 2.091% coupon, and was led by Royal Bank of Canada.

* Bluewater Bio has raised a further £2 million from existing investors. The bulk of the new investment came from the Aqua Resources Fund, which committed a further £1.5 million, taking its stake up to 17%. 12.9 million new shares were sold at a price of 15.5p per share.

* The Asian Development Bank has agreed to provide up to $600 million in loans to Azerbaijan for water and sanitation improvements to help around 500,000 people in secondary towns and semi-urban areas outside the capital city of Baku.