SUEZ NWS wins concession for four wastewater treatment plants in Changshu

SUEZ NWS has increased its presence in Changshu by extending its previous O&M services for four Wastewater Treatment Plants (WWTPs) into a concession contract. Thanks to outstanding operational results and impressive social impact during the O&M period, SUEZ NWS, through its joint venture, Changshu Sino French Water, entered into a concession agreement with Changshu Water Bureau. The 30-year agreement gives SUEZ NWS ownership and operational rights of the four WWTPs and further enables the government of Changshu to implement integrated water supply and drainage solutions across the city.

Pursuant to the agreement, Changshu Sino French Water will take over management of four WWTPs which will be extended to a capacity of 180,000 m3 /day from the existing 80,000 m3 /day. The four WWTPs serve roughly 900,000 residential, industrial and commercial users across 10 Changshu districts. After taking over the infrastructure and assets, Changshu Sino French Water will treat the industrial and municipal wastewater to ensure compliance with the existing rigorous standards. It will also expand and upgrade the plants’ facilities where necessary, to meet even higher standards in future.

“Our 12-year partnership with SUEZ NWS has profoundly transformed water supply in Changshu and is a prime example of win-win international cooperation”, said SHEN Xiaodong, Executive Vice Mayor of Changshu. “These results have boosted our confidence in growing and reinventing our partnership. We expect this agreement to continue our progress towards integrated water supply and drainage in Changshu.”

“I’m encouraged that our partnership with the Changshu city government has helped improve the quality of living, while mitigating environmental threats for local residents”, said Steve CLARK, CEO of SUEZ Asia. “More importantly, thanks to the strong foundation of our cooperation and our aligned vision of sustainability, I am convinced we will achieve integrated water supply and drainage in Changshu. Furthermore, we look forward to working with the city more broadly on solid waste treatment and resource recycling in the near future.”

Changshu Sino French Water, a joint venture founded in 2006 between Changshu Urban Construction Public Assets Management Company Limited and SUEZ NWS, has invested over 1 billion RMB in water supply, wastewater treatment and industrial water treatment for over two million residential, industrial and commercial users in Changshu. It currently produces 875,000 m3 of water and treats 120,000 m3 of wastewater daily.

For its outstanding track record in services, safety, customer satisfaction and corporate social responsibility, the joint venture has won a number of accolades within the industry. It was named one of the first “5A-Grade Service Units” in China’s water business, and was also ranked the “Most Socially Responsible Enterprise in China’s Water Industry” for a number of consecutive years. On 14 May 2018, SUEZ NWS officially enters into a 30-year concession agreement with Changshu Water Bureau to own and operate four wastewater treatment plants in Changshu.