Vol 3, Issue 10 (October 2002)
General
- Algerian IWPPs update
More details have been released on financial arrangements for the Arzew independent water and power project (IWPP) in Algeria.
- Atlanta sludge recycling PPP
MEANWHILE, US FILTER OPERATING SERVICES has signed a $200 million contract with the city of Atlanta to develop and manage a programme that will produce class A biosolids (sludge) by recycling 90% of the wastewater solids produced by the city’s WwTPs.
- Bear market ravages water industry
September concluded one of the worst quarters in the last 50 years. Ending on a particularly sour note, several major blue-chip companies issued profit warnings that sent a shockwave through US markets.
- Berlinwasser reorganises
Berlinwasser Holding (BWH) and Berliner Wasserbetriebe (BWB) are to undergo “comprehensive management restructuring” following talks between stakeholders – the state of Berlin and an RWE/Vivendi consortium.
- Delfluent consortium gets Hague DBFO
The executive board of Hoogheemraadschap van Delfland (Delfland Water) has appointed the Delfluent consortium as preferred bidder for a 30-year wastewater design build finance operate (DBFO) contract in The Hague. Delfluent beat the water board’s financial benchmark, which was set at 10.5% below the public sector comparator. The project development agreement was signed on 30 September and the DBFO contract will be signed on 1 November 2003.
- Greater role for donors following Johannesburg
At the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) in Johannesburg, a range of African water and sanitation targets were set, as the sector for once made headlines around the world. Following our short story on the summit last month, this month’s GWI takes a more detailed look at the targets, and attempts to draw some meaningful conclusions.
- Improving the commercial performance of public utilities in Serbia
The challenges facing water utilities in Serbia, though similar in many respects to those faced by public sector utilities the world over, starkly reflect ten years of Milosevic rule and the effects of hostilities.
- Mixed success for African PSPs
PSP contracts exist throughout Africa thanks to funding from the development agencies, but recent attempts at privatisation have met with mixed success
- Pekanbaru negotiations fail
A consortium led by Cascal, the joint venture company formed by the UK’s Biwater and Nuon of the Netherlands, has withdrawn from a 30-year concession to manage water supply services in Pekanbaru in Indonesia’s Riau province.
- Petronas chooses Vivendi
VIVENDI WATER has signed a contract with Malaysia’s national oil company Petronas for outsourcing water treatment and supply services at the Kerith petrochemical complex in Terengganu state.
- Saudis appoint new water minister
Saudi Arabia’s current ambassador to the UK, Dr. Ghazi Abdul Rahman Al-Gosaibi, has been appointed the Kingdom’s new Minister of Water, heralding a drive for greater PSP and a related revision of tariffs.
- Uganda puts water losses in the spotlight
UGANDA’S NATIONAL WATER AND SEWERAGE CORPORATION (NWSC) has launched a campaign to boost revenue collection and reduce the number of illegal water connections. The plan follows similar two-pronged strategies in other Ugandan utilities.
- Umgeni: new tariffs but bad PR continues
Troubled South African company Umgeni Water has set out its new tariff plans in an attempt to get the company back on track.
- US Filter sets out New Orleans proposal
US Filter Operating Services has presented the Sewerage & Water Board of New Orleans (SWBNO) with a proposal that it claims will save customers more than $600 million and create 350 new jobs.
- Water sector neglected in EU accession countries
Enormous investment in the water and wastewater sectors is required to bring standards in central and eastern European countries up to those in the West. A massive €180 billion will be required, even more than the €110 billion needed in the energy sector, according to a report by the German economics institute DIW.
Brief
- A Word from the publisher
This is first issue of Global Water Intelligence to be published by Media Analytics Ltd, however the only difference that readers are likely to notice is the loss of the CWC Group logo on every page. Peter Allison continues as editor with his familiar network of contributors.
