Multiple asset sales (by Oman Investment Corporation, American Water Works Company, Vision Energy, and Santander) occurred around the world this week. For details on these transactions, and other stories in water, continue reading below.
M&A/ Partnerships
- The Asian Development Bank (ADB) issued a $266.8m water bond, maturing on 26 February 2015, with an annual coupon of 6.29%. It is ADB’s second water bond to Japanese investors to provide assistance to the water sector.
http://www.water-technology.net/news/ newsadb-sells-second-water-bond-to-japanese-investors - Instrata Capital acquired a stake in Oman’s Sembcorp Salalah Independent Water and Power Project (IWPP) from Oman Investment Corporation (OIC).
http://www.cospp.com/news/2012/01/ 1588728061/instrata-capital-buys-stake-in-oman-s-sembcorp-salalah-water-and-power-plant.html - American Water Works Company announced the financial close of its $470 million sale of regulated operations in Arizona and New Mexico to EPCOR USA.
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/ american-water-announces-completion-sale-183000069.html - Vision Energy has agreed to sell its 75% share of a desalination plant in the Republic of Guinea in West Africa, including rights, entitlements and benefits, to Dhanoa Minerals.
http://www.water-technology.net/news/ newsdhanoa-to-acquire-majority-stake-of-desalination-project-in-guinea - Santander sold its stake in Thames Water to China’s sovereign wealth fund China Investment Corporation (CIC) due to an urgent need to boost core capital. One senior industry analyst said that CIC probably paid close to £100 million.
http://www.globalwaterintel.com/news/ 2012/4/thames-sale-completes-santanders-exit-water.html?source=email
- ProSep Inc won a C$13 million contract to design and supply a seawater treatment and water injection system for a floating production system that will operate in a deepwater Gulf of Mexico field. The ProSep seawater injection module will include membrane ultrafiltration, sulphate removal and vacuum deaeration.
http://www.filtsep.com/view/23592/ prosep-to-supply-seawater-treatment-and-injection-system-to-gulf-of-mexico/ - H2O Innovation India Ltd is completing a water treatment system which it designed, assembled and installed for Larsen & Toubro Heavy Engineering’s nuclear forging facility in Hazira, India.
http://www.filtsep.com/view/23591/ h2o-innovation-india-commissions-its-first-major-water-treatment-system/ - Australia is building a ~$100 million water pipeline for four coal-seam-gas-to-liquefied-natural-gas plants. The Gladstone Area Water Board is laying the pipe 70 metres under the Gladstone harbour to avoid the environmental issues that come with desalination.
http://www.abc.net.au/rural/content/2012/s3418810.htm - Monadelphous Group has secured water and transmission pipeline construction contracts from global miner Rio Tinto, which will be implemented in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. Under the terms of the contract, Monadelphous has agreed to build and install a potable water supply system for Rio Tinto’s Coastal Waters project in Bungaroo Valley.
http://www.water-technology.net/news/ newsmonadelphous-secures-water-contract-from-rio-tinto - The World Bank has provided a $70.3m loan to the Brazilian state of Sergipe for a water project that will provide improved water services to the area. The loan will be used by the Sergipe Water Project to increase access to safe water and sanitation in the most populous basin in the state.
http://www.water-technology.net/news/ newswb-provides-loan-for-water-project-in-brazil - Italy’s OSMO Sistemi has been selected to supply a 17,280 m3/d (4.6 MGD) BWRO system for Office National de l’Eau Potable’s (ONEP) Dakhla project in southern Morocco. Negotiations for the MAD100 million ($11.8 million) EPC project – which was initially planned as a SWRO before ONEP switched to a brackish groundwater source – are nearing completion, and the project should be awarded by mid-February.
http://www.desalination.com/wdr/48/4/epc-contractor-selected-bwro
Innovation/ New Products
- The Sensus iPERL smart metering endpoint has been introduced outside the USA. Using a specially designed flow tube and remanent magnetic technology, the iPERL captures very low flows for improved leak detection and conservation of resources.
http://www.waterlink-international.com/ news/id2231-Smart_Metering_Endpoint.html
Other
- Leaked documents related to the ongoing Canada-European Union trade negotiations show that Canada and the provinces have failed to protect drinking water and wastewater services from trade rules that would encourage and lock in privatization, indicating the country is ”open for business” to big European water firms who see public water services as a barrier to their investment opportunities.
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/leaked- canada-eu-trade-documents-110000281.html - Two main leakages over the weekend at Japan’s Fukushima nuclear power plant leaked more than 600 liters of water, but none is thought to have escaped into the ocean, according to the plant’s operator.
http://news.yahoo.com/japan-finds- water-leaks-stricken-nuclear-plant-223514919.html
Arti Patel is on the Research & Advisory team at Cleantech Group.
Green Conduct on