• The contract represents more than 360 million euro in revenues.
• This is the company's first public-private partnership (PPP) in Egypt.

This is Aqualia's first PPP in Egypt; the project represents a backlog of 360 million euro and includes managing the plant for 20 years.

The financing agreement was signed by Aqualia and OCI with the New Urban Communities Authority and Egypt's Ministry of Finance at a ceremony in Cairo.

The four participating banks are: National Société Générale Bank SAE (NSGB), Commercial International Bank (CIB) Egypt SAE, Arab African International Bank SAE and Ahli United Bank (Egypt) SAE. NSGB is the agent bank and CIB is the custodian. Baker & McKenzie is the project's legal advisor.

A direct agreement between the government, consortium and banks has also been concluded, further guaranteeing the project's development.

The plant will treat the sewage of more than a million people and will have the capacity to treat 250 million litres of water per day. The sewage treatment plant and the sludge storage zone will span areas of 305,506 m2 and 192,671 m2, respectively.

The plant will have a water processing line including 4 pretreatment and primary decanting lines, 6  biological treatment and secondary decanting lines and 10 tertiary treatment lines; it will also have a sludge treatment system with 6 thickening lines (3 for primary sludge and 3 for secondary sludge), 4 anaerobic digestion lines and 8 dehydration lines.

The treated water will be stored in existing settling ponds for reuse in irrigation, and the sludge will be reused for agricultural purposes. The biogas produced will be used to heat and operate the sludge treatment system.

Aqualia's competitors for the contract included top international companies in the sector, such as Veolia, Kharafi, Metito and Befesa.

This is Aqualia's first contract in Egypt and it extends the company's international outreach, particularly its strategy to expand in North Africa, where it is already building two of the largest desalination plants on the continent in the Algerian towns of Mostaganem and Cap Djinet. Aqualia is also actively bidding for new water infrastructure contracts in Libya, Morocco and Tunisia. 

In the Middle East, the company has opened a business development office in the United Arab Emirates; it has projects under way in the UAE, as well as Bahrain, Qatar, Oman and Saudi Arabia, where there are prospects for major business opportunities in the coming years.

Aqualia manages more than 300 water treatment plants worldwide (Spain, the Czech Republic and Portugal, etc.) that treat more than 400 million cubic metres of waste water each year and ensure it returns to the environment under optimal conditions, which is crucial for the sustainable development of cities and a fundamental part of the comprehensive water cycle.

Aqualia, which has a backlog of 12.2 billion euro, remains committed to expanding abroad; it currently operates in the Czech Republic, Portugal, Italy, Algeria, China and Mexico, and serves more than 26 million people worldwide.

FCC entered the water management business in 1990, and in less than two decades it has become one of the world's leading companies in the sector.

 In Spain, Aqualia has a 34% share of the outsourced water management market. The company provides water services in 1,100 municipalities to more than 13 million people. In 2007, Aqualia was named "Water Company of the Year" by prestigious international magazine Global Water Intelligence, a fitting tribute to its track record and international scope. It was also awarded the Customer Service Leadership of the Year award by prestigious UK consulting firm Frost & Sullivan.

The consortium, which is comprised 50:50 by Aqualia, FCC's subsidiary specialised in end-to-end water management, and Egypt's Orascom Construction Industries (OCI), has closed financing for the project to design, build,  and operate the New Cairo sewage plant in Egypt.

This is Aqualia's first PPP in Egypt; the project represents a backlog of 360 million euro and includes managing the plant for 20 years.

The financing agreement was signed by Aqualia and OCI with the New Urban Communities Authority and Egypt's Ministry of Finance at a ceremony in Cairo.

The four participating banks are: National Société Générale Bank SAE (NSGB), Commercial International Bank (CIB) Egypt SAE, Arab African International Bank SAE and Ahli United Bank (Egypt) SAE. NSGB is the agent bank and CIB is the custodian. Baker & McKenzie is the project's legal advisor.

A direct agreement between the government, consortium and banks has also been concluded, further guaranteeing the project's development.

The plant will treat the sewage of more than a million people and will have the capacity to treat 250 million litres of water per day. The sewage treatment plant and the sludge storage zone will span areas of 305,506 m2 and 192,671 m2, respectively.

The plant will have a water processing line including 4 pretreatment and primary decanting lines, 6  biological treatment and secondary decanting lines and 10 tertiary treatment lines; it will also have a sludge treatment system with 6 thickening lines (3 for primary sludge and 3 for secondary sludge), 4 anaerobic digestion lines and 8 dehydration lines.

The treated water will be stored in existing settling ponds for reuse in irrigation, and the sludge will be reused for agricultural purposes. The biogas produced will be used to heat and operate the sludge treatment system.

Aqualia's competitors for the contract included top international companies in the sector, such as Veolia, Kharafi, Metito and Befesa.

This is Aqualia's first contract in Egypt and it extends the company's international outreach, particularly its strategy to expand in North Africa, where it is already building two of the largest desalination plants on the continent in the Algerian towns of Mostaganem and Cap Djinet. Aqualia is also actively bidding for new water infrastructure contracts in Libya, Morocco and Tunisia. 

In the Middle East, the company has opened a business development office in the United Arab Emirates; it has projects under way in the UAE, as well as Bahrain, Qatar, Oman and Saudi Arabia, where there are prospects for major business opportunities in the coming years.

Aqualia manages more than 300 water treatment plants worldwide (Spain, the Czech Republic and Portugal, etc.) that treat more than 400 million cubic metres of waste water each year and ensure it returns to the environment under optimal conditions, which is crucial for the sustainable development of cities and a fundamental part of the comprehensive water cycle.

Aqualia, which has a backlog of 12.2 billion euro, remains committed to expanding abroad; it currently operates in the Czech Republic, Portugal, Italy, Algeria, China and Mexico, and serves more than 26 million people worldwide.

FCC entered the water management business in 1990, and in less than two decades it has become one of the world's leading companies in the sector.

In Spain, Aqualia has a 34% share of the outsourced water management market. The company provides water services in 1,100 municipalities to more than 13 million people. In 2007, Aqualia was named "Water Company of the Year" by prestigious international magazine Global Water Intelligence, a fitting tribute to its track record and international scope. It was also awarded the Customer Service Leadership of the Year award by prestigious UK consulting firm Frost & Sullivan.