Vol 2, Issue 3 (March 2001)

Analysis

  • A word from the Editor…

    Welcome to the March issue of Global Water Intelligence. We have decided to focus on Thailand this month.

General

  • Arezzo: French fight it out

    THE AREZZO CONCESSION, awarded to an SLdE joint venture in 1999 for 25 years, is now at the centre of a contentious legal battle.

  • Brazil: draft law goes to Congress

    PRESIDENT FERNANDO HENRIQUE CARDOSO has sent the long-awaited draft bill (Lei Ordinaria 4147) that would overhaul Brazil’s basic sanitation sector to the Congress.

  • Brazil starts talks on polluter pays

    Brazil tentatively initiated its first large-scale application of a polluter pays scheme last month when talks began between representatives of the new federal water agency, Agência Nacional de Águas (ANA), the Río Paraiba do Sul Basin Committee (Ceivap) and representatives of 70 local industry and political bodies.

  • EU: investment and price survey

    THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION is preparing to launch a rigorous campaign against member states for their failure to invest sufficiently in sewerage networks and wastewater treatment plants (WwTPs).

  • Germany: price discrepancies revealed

    CONSUMERS IN SOME GERMAN CITIES are paying up to twice as much for drinking water and wastewater services as those in other cities, the state supported consumer magazine Stiftung Warentest discovered from its most recent survey of water charges in 26 cities.

  • Thailand’s uncertain future

    Thailand has only recently resumed the process of privatising its water industry, which first began in the mid-1990s. So far, private sector contracts have been awarded for water supply to districts on the outskirts of Bangkok, along with several smaller projects (see table on page 4). New capital is needed to upgrade outdated production and distribution systems, but several stumbling blocks need to be overcome in order to renew private sector interest.

  • Wake up call for Italy’s water sector

    The Italian government has painted a bleak picture of the country’s water system in its latest state of the environment report. Large numbers of people are still unable to rely on their water supply, one third of wastewater remains inadequately treated and over 30% of the water piped through the national distribution network is lost due to leakage.

Brief

  • Barra outfall contracts awarded

    RIO DE JANEIRO state governor Anthony Garrotinho signed R$118.3 million (US$58 million) worth of contracts for work on the Barra da Tijuca outfall project last month. Brazilian companies won all three contracts.

  • Farfana goes to Degrémont

    FRENCH WATER TREATMENT GROUP DEGRÉMONT is to build a wastewater treatment plant in the Chilean capital, Santiago for the regional water services utility Emos.

  • Mott MacDonald municipal training role

    THE UK’S DEPARTMENT FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT (DFID) has selected Mott MacDonald to lead a programme of capacity building for project development in Romanian municipalities.

  • RWE to tap corporate bond market

    GERMANY’S RWE has announced that part of the recent acquisitions by its nearly 100% owned subsidiary Thames Water will be financed by issuing corporate bonds.

  • SLdE year 2000 revenues up 36%

    SUEZ LYONNAISE DES EAUX (SLDE) increased turnover by 36% to €34.6 billion in 2000 with most of the growth coming from the group’s two core business areas – energy and water. Internal growth was 12.3%.

  • Spanish PHN lacking regional support

    SPAIN’S WATER COUNCIL has finally given the green light to the long-awaited and much criticised Plan Hidrológico Nacional (PHN), but the controversial scheme is yet to gain the support of some of the country’s regional governments.

  • Vivendi wins T&T contracts

    VIVENDI ENVIRONNEMENT subsidiary Vivendi Water has signed two 25-year concession contracts in Morocco for the management of water distribution, wastewater and electricity.

  • Yaroslavl feasibility study

    THE US TRADE AND DEVELOPMENT AGENCY (US TDA) has allocated $345,000 to finance a technical feasibility study for an EBRD financed investment programme in Yaroslavl, Russia.

Market insight

  • Buenos Aires seven years on

    Last month’s GWI reported that Aguas Argentinas will increase tariffs in line with inflation plus 3.9% annually for the period 2001 to 2003. The new tariff will allow the company to increase its annual income and fulfil investment commitments in Buenos Aires over the next five years. This article, written by Barry Walton, certifier to the Aguas Argentinas concession, addresses some of the issues brought into focus by the price negotiations and expansion plans. In attempting to set prices and other measurables in an international context, the article seeks to contribute to the extension of such comparators where local information may be lacking. GWI hopes this is of considerable benefit to banks, corporate investors and technical operators of other large water and sewerage concessions.

  • Vivendi contract terminated

    IN A PROTEST OVER PRICES, a total of 12 local authorities in the hinterland of Nice have decided to end water services contracts with Compagnie Générale des Eaux (Vivendi) which were not due to expire until 2017.

Performer of the month

  • US water sector boosted by strong 2000 results

    US fourth quarter and end-of-year results started coming out in February and, so far, it seems that 2000 was a good year for the water industry with many companies reporting record earnings.