FCC has gone one step further with its in-
ternationalization policy. Its water manage-
ment subsidiary, Aqualia, has been awarded
a contract to build a wastewater treatment
plant in Niksic, the second largest city by
population of Montenegro. The plant, which
will be the largest in the country, will treat
15.5 million liters of water per day, serving
100,000 people. It represents a backlog of
14 million euro.
Funded by the European Investment Bank
(EIB), the contract represents Aqualia’s frst
Central and Eastern Europe has become a strategic growth area for Aqualia since it
acquired SmVaK, the leading water services company in the Moravian-Silesian region,
which serves 1.2 million people. SmVaK has two special features: frstly, it does not
operate in concession since it owns the infrastructure (and the term of its activities is,
therefore, indefnite); secondly, it is one of the few examples of a company that provi-
des crossborder water supply, serving 100,000 people in Poland.
Aqualia uses this leading regional position as a platform for its expansion into nearby
countries where it can offer better management and take advantage of European
funding for infrastructure development. In this sense, the work carried out by the FCC
water management subsidiary in other countries which receive EU funds, such as
Spain, enables it to provide essential support to its public customers in the process of
requesting and managing European Union funding.
Another highlight in this region is the creation of “Aqualia New Europe”, a joint venture
with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), which holds a
49% stake. This new company works to improve water management systems in Cen-
tral and Eastern Europe through direct investments in infrastructure or equity stakes
in companies that manage water services. The creation of this company, the unpre-
cedented stake held by the EBRD and the funds committed by the bank (close to 80
million euro) refect the EBRD’s confdence in Aqualia and in the sector’s future growth.
Growth vocation in
Central and East Europe
FCC’s water management
subsidary will be build
a plant with capacity for
treating more than 15
milllion of liters per day.
Financed by the European
Investment Bank (EIB),
the contract represents a
backlog of 14 billion Euros
step into the Balkans, a region with signi-
fcant development potential in the was-
tewater treatment business in the short and
medium term using EU pre-adhesion funds.
Aqualia it is currently building in Rumania
the wastewater treatment plants of Agnita,
Dumbraveni and Zimnicea. Its participation
in the design, construction, operation and
maintenance of these plants will help the
country achieve the environmental objec-
tives set out in the Water Framework Di-
rective, which, among other stipulations,
requires that 100% of wastewater be trea-
ted. This practice guarantees future sus-
tainable development since treated water
is returned to the environment in optimal
conditions.
The Citizen Services Group’s subsidiary
continues its process of internationalization,
which already reaches 17 countries. This
international diversifcation strategy has
enabled the company to attain a leading
position in the outsourced water manage-
ment market in Portugal and to become the
top operator in Moravia and Silesia (Central
Europe).
Aqualia
contract
marks
FCC’s
entry
in
Montenegro
Fernando Mo-
reno, General
Manager of
Aqualia