By Dominique Gatel, Veolia Water

Veolia Environment supplies water to 150 million people worldwide and treats waste and water or provides energy services for over 1,000 businesses in all sectors. The strength of the company is the people, in number and expertise, the portfolio of technologies, clients and know-how, and its ability to unlock local potentials.

The partnership is often faced with the three integrated facets of the sustainable development: social -creating jobs and supporting community-, economic -reducing operating costs- and environmental -water quality and quantity, limiting CO2 emission, and saving energy and other key resources. Veolia water basically provides expertise in reviewing processes to identify potential economies of water and or energy.

The partnerships allow saving up to 50 and sometimes 90% of either water, or energy, expenses on individual processes, being they municipal or industrial. For the totality of the scope of the partnerships, efficiency gains reach from 10 to 30% with subsequent emission reduction and cost savings. The ultimate benefit is reduction of total costs and environment footprint for service duration.

The project aims to address water treatment or water supply or to operate heating/cooling networks at the optimal cost given a number of constraints (regulatory, continuity of service, etc.).