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UK: AWG confirmed that its international water business was up for sale.

A statement in its half-yearly results said that shareholder value would “be better achieved in the longer term through concentrating the group’s capital and skills on opportunities in the UK”. Schroder Salomon Smith Barney is advising. Both Vivendi and Ondeo are thought to be interested in AWG’s operations in the Czech Republic.

Italy: The city of Rome, which holds a 51% stake in the capital’s water utility Acea, urged the company to improve its efficiency and productivity. City councillor Marco Causi suggested that Acea focus its efforts on its core businesses of water and electricity – a criticism of the company’s multi-utility strategy of recent years, which had led it to invest in gas and telecoms. Acea’s chief executive Paolo Cuccia described his company’s foray into telecoms as “a trap into which we fell and are now eager to get out of”.

UK: Rumour has it that Bechtel is considering scaling back its water activities and is hunting a buyer for its stake in International Water (IWL). A spokesman for Bechtel Enterprises said the company “routinely and frequently considered its options with respect to development opportunities” when asked by GWI about its plans. Bechtel Enterprises is the joint owner of IWL together with Edison SpA of Italy.

Germany: Berlinwasser International (BWI) said it had gained formal approval to change its legal status. The international arm of the Berlin Wasser group will be registered as an Aktiengesellschaft (AG) company – the nearest equivalent to a public limited company – at the end of January. The move would increase equity capital in the company said Dieter Ernest who will be the new president of BWI AG.

France: Vivendi Universal completed the sale of 20.4% of its stake in Vivendi Environnement (see story, p.15).

Abu Dhabi: CMS Energy, which is the lead developer on the Taweelah A-2 and Shuweihat IWPP projects, denied reports that it is planning to sell its Middle Eastern assets and leave the region. An Abu Dhabi-based
group and an international developer had expressed interest in CMS Energy’s Abu Dhabi assets.