THE ASIA AND OCEANIA REGION IS CURRENTLY EXPERIENCING STRONG ECONOMIC MOMENTUM. SUEZ ENVIRONNEMENT IS WELL POSITIONED IN THE CHINESE AND AUSTRALIAN ENVIRONMENT MARKETS, WHICH ARE PRIORITY MARKETS FOR THE GROUP.
In China, the Group is active in the area of water, primarily through the jointly-held company Sino-French Holdings, which consists of SUEZ ENVIRONNEMENT and its Chinese partner, New World Infrastructure Limited. This partnership, which began in 1985, gives SUEZ ENVIRONNEMENT a local base for a better understanding of the context and expectations. At the municipal level, SUEZ ENVIRONNEMENT is active through 25 subsidiaries established with local municipal authorities to produce drinking water and provide sanitation. For example, in 2009 the Group continued to strengthen its cooperation with the metropolitan region of Chongqing by winning a new 40-year concession for the supply of drinking water in the Yuelai zone.
SUEZ ENVIRONNEMENT is also active in Macao, through its water and electricity concessions. The agreement for the supply of water services, which began in 1985 for 25 years, was renewed in November 2009 for an additional 20 years. As a final example, in 2010 the Group won a contract to operate and maintain purification stations on the island of Changxing in the municipality of Dalian.
In the area of industrial water, in late 2009 Degrémont, in association with Ondeo Industrial Solutions, signed an agreement to build an industrial waste water treatment plant at the Petrochina site in Chengdu. In May 2010, the Group continued its progress in the industrial parks sector by winning a 30-year concession to treat industrial water at the Chongqing Changshou Industrial and Chemical Park.
Often located on the coast or on rivers, these complexes are primarily engaged in petrochemical activities. They meet the country’s growing internal demand by providing it with the raw materials needed for its processing industry. These industrial giants may have an impact on the environment and the Chinese authorities are implementing a very demanding environmental management policy. SUEZ ENVIRONNEMENT is well positioned in this major market, with its extremely efficient Shanghai facility and the 2010 award to manage waste water from the Chongqing Chemical Park.
In 2010, Sino French Water, SUEZ ENVIRONNEMENT’s Chinese subsidiary, launched its new visual identity. It has assumed the Group’s charters, while promoting its local base.
In the area of waste, SUEZ ENVIRONNEMENT is also active in China through SITA Waste Services, which the Group wholly controls as of the end of 2009, having been previously held in equal proportions with the investment company Swire Pacific.