Veolia Water
Encyclopedia
Veolia Water the water division of the French company Veolia Environnement, is the world's largest supplier of water services.
Veolia has water operations in 66 countries across the globe, employing 95,789 workers worldwide and serving completely or partly about 64 metropolitan areas with more than 139 million inhabitants, including:
It is strongest in Europe, particularly in its native France
and Germany
. Its biggest competitor is Suez Environnement
.
In 2009, the group posted revenues of €12.56 billion.
72.9% of turnover comes from Europe; 7.4% from the Americas, 8.5% from Africa, Middle East and India, and 11.2% from the Asia-Pacific region.
1918 saw the creation of the SADE (Société Auxiliaire des Distributions d'Eau), specialising in water networks and the delivery of drinking water. In 1953, construction began on a Veolia water treatment facility at Clay Lane, near London; by 2001, it was the world’s largest ultrafiltration plant, supplying water to 750,000 people in the city.
Veolia Water’s humanitarian crisis response team, Waterforce, was created in 1998, prompted by hurricane Mitch
in Nicaragua and the flooding of the Yangtze River
in China.
In 2002, Veolia Water expanded its municipal water services in 2002 to major cities such as Indianapolis (USA), Bucharest (Romania), Berlin (Germany) and Shanghai (China). Three years later, Veolia Environnement united its four global divisions (Environmental Services
, Energy
, Transport
and Water) under the Veolia brand. The CGE became Veolia Water.
The company produces water for industrial processes, and offers treatment, heating, cooling and cleaning applications for industry. In August 2010, Veolia Water was awarded the wastewater treatment contract for the Petrobras Papa Terra P63 offshore oil production project, located in the Campos Basin
, off the coast of Brazil.
Veolia has built 15% of the world’s desalination
capacity. Some estimates suggest that the global water desalination market will double in the period 2010-2016.
Veolia Water offers two main technologies: reverse osmosis
and thermal desalination. In reverse osmosis, water is passed through membranes under pressure; the membrane allows water to circulate, but captures the salts. During thermal desalination, water is vaporized in distillation chambers to separate out the salts it contains.
Not all waste water has to be recycled to produce drinking water. Veolia Water also operates in alternative recycling markets. Water that is clean, but not purified for human consumption, is suitable for irrigation, industrial uses, and the injection and storage of water into underground aquifers after additional treatment.
Veolia Water works to replenish subterranean aquifers, which are being exhausted through over-exploitation in some areas. Replenishment can be achieved with treated water of various kinds: surface water, rainwater and treated waste water.
In 2008, Veolia Water established Grameen-Veolia Water, Ltd. Founded in partnership with the Grameen Bank
(a microcredit lender) created by Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus
, the entity aims to provide clean drinking water to 100,000 people in Bangladesh.
Veolia Water also has joint subsidiaries with other Veolia divisions. With Dalkia, it has Proxiserve. This subsidiary offers a number of home-based or domestic solutions, including heating and water distribution systems. With Veolia Environmental Services, it has SEDE Environnement (management of waste sludge) and SIDEF (Services to Industry for the Treatment of Effluent).
Veolia has water operations in 66 countries across the globe, employing 95,789 workers worldwide and serving completely or partly about 64 metropolitan areas with more than 139 million inhabitants, including:
- Asia : Thailand, South Korea, Philippines, China, Japan, Malaysia, India.
- Europe : Armenia, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Slovak Republic, Sweden, Turkey, United Kingdom.
- Americas : United States, Canada, Mexico, Colombia.
- Oceania : Australia, New Zealand.
- Africa : Gabon, Morocco, Niger, Reunion Island, South Africa
- Middle East : Israel, Oman, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates.
It is strongest in Europe, particularly in its native France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. Its biggest competitor is Suez Environnement
Suez Environnement
Suez Environnement S.A. is a French-based utility company which operates largely in the water treatment and waste management sectors. Formerly an operating division of Suez, the company was spun out as a stand-alone entity as part of the merger to form GDF Suez on 22 July 2008. GDF Suez remains...
.
In 2009, the group posted revenues of €12.56 billion.
72.9% of turnover comes from Europe; 7.4% from the Americas, 8.5% from Africa, Middle East and India, and 11.2% from the Asia-Pacific region.
History
The Compagnie Générale des Eaux (CGE) was created in 1853. In 1889, its first research laboratory was established at 52, rue d’Anjou in Paris, France. Veolia Water’s headquarters are still located at this site.1918 saw the creation of the SADE (Société Auxiliaire des Distributions d'Eau), specialising in water networks and the delivery of drinking water. In 1953, construction began on a Veolia water treatment facility at Clay Lane, near London; by 2001, it was the world’s largest ultrafiltration plant, supplying water to 750,000 people in the city.
Veolia Water’s humanitarian crisis response team, Waterforce, was created in 1998, prompted by hurricane Mitch
Hurricane Mitch
Hurricane Mitch was the most powerful hurricane and the most destructive of the 1998 Atlantic hurricane season, with maximum sustained winds of 180 mph . The storm was the thirteenth tropical storm, ninth hurricane, and third major hurricane of the season. Along with Hurricane Georges, Mitch...
in Nicaragua and the flooding of the Yangtze River
Yangtze River
The Yangtze, Yangzi or Cháng Jiāng is the longest river in Asia, and the third-longest in the world. It flows for from the glaciers on the Tibetan Plateau in Qinghai eastward across southwest, central and eastern China before emptying into the East China Sea at Shanghai. It is also one of the...
in China.
In 2002, Veolia Water expanded its municipal water services in 2002 to major cities such as Indianapolis (USA), Bucharest (Romania), Berlin (Germany) and Shanghai (China). Three years later, Veolia Environnement united its four global divisions (Environmental Services
Veolia Environmental Services
Veolia Environmental Services is a division of Veolia Environnement. It employs nearly 78,000 staff, has operations in 35 countries around the world, and generated revenues of nearly €9.02 billion in 2009....
, Energy
Veolia Energy-Dalkia
Dalkia is an energy service company that offers management and maintenance services to operators of industrial production sites, public utilities, offices and hospitals....
, Transport
Veolia Transport
Veolia Transport is the international transport services division of the French-based multinational company Veolia Environnement...
and Water) under the Veolia brand. The CGE became Veolia Water.
Activities
Veolia Water’s activities can be grouped into two main areas: providing clean drinking water, and collecting and treating waste water/ swerage water.Drinking water
Veolia Water sources of water from the environment (surface water deposits, rivers and subterranean aquifers); treats it to ensure it is drinkable; provides safe and clean piping and storage; and distributes it to populations. Veolia Water supplies nearly 95 million people around the world with drinking water.Waste water treatment
Veolia Water collects and then treats water in line with national and international regulations. Different treatments are provided depending on the level of pollution. Afterwards, the water re-enters the water cycle. Veolia Water delivers water treatment services to 68 million people around the world and, as of 2009, it managed 3,229 municipal water treatment plants.- In October 2010, Veolia Water was contracted to rebuild a waste water treatment plant in Lille (France) in a project that will ultimately have the capacity to treat waste water from 620,000 inhabitants in the region.
- In 2010, Veolia Water secured the management of the Grand Prado treatment facility on the island of Reunion (France).
Other services
Veolia Water also provides a number of additional technologies and services.- Industrial services
The company produces water for industrial processes, and offers treatment, heating, cooling and cleaning applications for industry. In August 2010, Veolia Water was awarded the wastewater treatment contract for the Petrobras Papa Terra P63 offshore oil production project, located in the Campos Basin
Campos Basin
Campos Basin is a petroleum rich area located offshore of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It has a total area of 100,000 square kilometres, with 40 fields discovered and operated by Petrobras....
, off the coast of Brazil.
- Desalination
Veolia has built 15% of the world’s desalination
Desalination
Desalination, desalinization, or desalinisation refers to any of several processes that remove some amount of salt and other minerals from saline water...
capacity. Some estimates suggest that the global water desalination market will double in the period 2010-2016.
Veolia Water offers two main technologies: reverse osmosis
Reverse osmosis
Reverse osmosis is a membrane technical filtration method that removes many types of large molecules and ions from solutions by applying pressure to the solution when it is on one side of a selective membrane. The result is that the solute is retained on the pressurized side of the membrane and...
and thermal desalination. In reverse osmosis, water is passed through membranes under pressure; the membrane allows water to circulate, but captures the salts. During thermal desalination, water is vaporized in distillation chambers to separate out the salts it contains.
- Recycling
Not all waste water has to be recycled to produce drinking water. Veolia Water also operates in alternative recycling markets. Water that is clean, but not purified for human consumption, is suitable for irrigation, industrial uses, and the injection and storage of water into underground aquifers after additional treatment.
- Aquifers
Veolia Water works to replenish subterranean aquifers, which are being exhausted through over-exploitation in some areas. Replenishment can be achieved with treated water of various kinds: surface water, rainwater and treated waste water.
Sustainable development
Veolia Water works on reducing the environmental impact of water use through a number of strategies.- Saving water: reducing leaks in the system and managing consumption through systems such as water meters.
- Protecting water resources: treating wastewater and preventing pollution, for example by avoiding discharge into aquifers.
- Limiting the environmental impact of energy use: optimizing facilities, exploring water as a source of renewable energy. Veolia Water Solutions and Technologies has begun a carbon initiative to analyze the sources of customers' emissions and offer lower-carbon water treatment solutions.
- Developing alternative resources: recycling treated water, recharging aquifers, desalinating seawater.
In 2008, Veolia Water established Grameen-Veolia Water, Ltd. Founded in partnership with the Grameen Bank
Grameen Bank
The Grameen Bank is a microfinance organization and community development bank started in Bangladesh that makes small loans to the impoverished without requiring collateral...
(a microcredit lender) created by Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus
Muhammad Yunus
Muhammad Yunus is a Bangladeshi economist and founder of the Grameen Bank, an institution that provides microcredit to help its clients establish creditworthiness and financial self-sufficiency. In 2006 Yunus and Grameen received the Nobel Peace Prize...
, the entity aims to provide clean drinking water to 100,000 people in Bangladesh.
Major subsidiaries
Veolia Water’s subsidiaries include:- SADE, which to builds and maintains water mains and water networks for delivering and distributing drinking water, and processing waste water.
- Veolia Water Solutions and Technologies provides services to both local authorities and private industry, aiming to help them to reduce their environmental impact.
- Two engineering advisory agencies: Seureca (international) and Setude (France-focused). These agencies specialize in water management, water treatment and the environment.
Veolia Water also has joint subsidiaries with other Veolia divisions. With Dalkia, it has Proxiserve. This subsidiary offers a number of home-based or domestic solutions, including heating and water distribution systems. With Veolia Environmental Services, it has SEDE Environnement (management of waste sludge) and SIDEF (Services to Industry for the Treatment of Effluent).