Vol 14, Issue 5 (May 2013)

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Need to know

  • AFRO-DISIACS

    The policy thrust in the Nigerian infrastructure sector is now heavily geared towards PPPs, following a presidential water summit earlier this year.

  • CARVE-UPS

    Having spent some time telling the world that it would sell its water division as a single package, Siemens has conceded that Memcor, the Australian low-pressure membrane manufacturer, will be sold off separately.

  • MINJUR-Y TIME

    IVRCL is looking to pull out of the Chennai Minjur desalination project in Tamil Nadu which it developed together with Abengoa, as it attempts to restore its balance sheet and re-focus on its EPC business.

  • SEE YOU LATER, REGULATOR

    Brazilian concessionaire Sabesp is reeling from the decision by São Paulo regulator ARSESP to award it a razor-thin 2.35% tariff rise, whilst demanding that the company cut BRL600 million ($300 million) from its annual opex bill. Despite the fact that the company has appealed against the decision, investors have been leaving the stock in droves.

Analysis

General

  • Bahrain mulling FO role for desal rehab

    The drive towards modernity is creating opportunities for new desalination technology in the kingdom.

  • A commoditised future for UF membranes?

    The UF membrane market is maturing. Will it ever reach the level of commoditisation enjoyed by RO?

  • Drought forecast may affect Israeli desal roll-out

    Predictions of a megadrought in Israel may force a re-think of the pace at which the Water Authority procures new desalination infrastructure.

  • Lagos promotes two-tier water PPP initiative

    Nigeria’s most populous state has stepped up efforts to boost private sector participation in its water supply infrastructure. Group managing director Shayo Holloway outlines his plans to GWI.

  • Managing water and expectations in Algeria

    The re-tendering of the failed Annaba contract shows the Algerian authorities are serious about improving the performance of urban water utilities. Rolling out the model to other cities is still some way off.

  • Masdar bids round out successful year for ILF

    The serious work of assessment has started on Abu Dhabi’s groundbreaking new energy desalination programme. For the consultant involved, it marks the culmination of a year of successes.

  • Mekorot in line for $16m Trinidad payout

    An arbitration process has put the seal on a two-year dispute following a failed contract in the Caribbean country. The company’s investment plans are now turning towards domestic needs.

  • Mostaganem desal operators face ultimatum

    The private sector stakeholders in Algeria’s Mostaganem desalination project face losing their contract if they are not able to fix an intake problem by the end of May.

  • Muscat sets sights on TSE business income

    Oman’s main wastewater treatment body is in the middle of a major expansion plan around the capital city. It is now turning its eyes towards finding ways to make wastewater treatment pay.

  • Oman looks for quick-fix desal solutions

    The latest rising demand projections from the country’s major supplier of desalinated water show that existing plants need to be expanded to satisfy demand until larger plants come online.

  • Pall takes a long knife to its water division

    The departure of two of Pall Corporation’s longest-serving water executives raises questions about the future direction of the group’s water division. Its relationship with Asahi has come under particular scrutiny.

  • Plundering the market for liquid assets

    The ownership model for UK regulated water companies has found new ways to evolve since the leveraged buyouts of the pre-financial crisis era. What are the trends?

  • Siemens re-thinks its UF membrane strategy

    Siemens Water Technologies will give up exclusive rights to the production of Memcor membranes, in preparation for what CEO Lukas Loeffler predicts will be an end to vertical integration in the low-pressure membrane market.

  • Tunisia seeks to broaden PSP in wastewater

    Inherent inefficiencies in the public sector have convinced the Tunisian authorities to boost the role of the private sector in operating wastewater infrastructure. What is up for grabs?

Brief

  • MIDDLE EAST WATER IN BRIEF

    The Gabonese Ministry of Oil, Energy and Hydraulic Resources has awarded Acciona Agua a €50 million contract to expand the country’s largest water treatment plant.

Opinion

GWI Water Index

  • The end of the Brazilian honeymoon

    A steep decline in the market capitalisation of listed Brazilian water stocks contributed to a lacklustre performance for the GWI Water Index last month. Signs of a recovery in the US municipal market were scant compensation.