Apa Nova pledges 100m euro investments

Apa Nova’s investments in its two years since getting the concession of the Bucharest water and sewer network were not sufficient, the company representatives admitted at the end of last week. They announced investments worth 100 million euros for the next two years, while investments made so far amounted to 30 million euros.
“I can say we haven’t done enough so far. I must add that starting a concession is a complex thing, with very difficult procedures, so that we could not move forward as fast as we thought we would,” Andreas Baude, Apa Nova general manager said.
In the two years since awarded the concession, the company has replaced only 5 kilometres of drinking water pipes, and 2.5 km of sewerage pipes, although it was supposed, as Mediafax shows, to replace 30 km of piping every year since the signing of the contract (November 2000). The company representatives are now saying the contract did not actually specify the number of kilometres of piping to be replaced, just certain service “quality levels,” which entailed replacing the worn-out piping.
At any rate, a massive replacement of piping is only just beginning. The company announced it would invest 8 million euros in the replacement of 45 km of water piping and 2 million euros in replacement of 10km of sewerage piping in the next two years.
Another 9 million euros are to be invested in replacing 35-45,000 counters, while 10 million euros are to be invested in expanding the water and sewerage network by 40 kilometres. Other investments are to be made in the two water treatment stations and in retooling the pumping stations
“Apa Nova’s direct investments will total 55 million euros, 45 million euro of which will be directed to the conceded domain (water network, counters, valves) and 10 million euros to equipment, materials and computers,” Baude explained.
The rest up to the 100 million euros, that is some 45 million euros will be invested in the water treating station in Crivina.