Suez Environnement Awarded WWT Contract

The company Valorhin has been created to liaise between Lyonnaise des Eaux (70%) and Degrémont Services (30%) in order to guarantee technical and environmental excellence in operating the fifth-largest wastewater plant in France. The contract includes the operation of the entire plant and, from the end of the 2012, of a new process to treat the sludge from wastewater. The latter will combine two digesters, two driers and a co-generation process to produce heat and electricity.

In the new sludge-treatment process, Lyonnaise des Eaux and Degrémont Services will use their expertise in biomass management to produce green electricity and offer additional sources of energy. Using sludge from the plant and from other plants, the facility will be capable of producing a significant amount of heat and electricity in co-generation.

The wastewater plant, in which the group intends to invest 5 million euros, will achieve a carbon-neutral footprint in 2013. In addition to producing renewable electricity from sludge, Lyonnaise des Eaux will be able to use various processes and technologies such as recycling all the by-products of the plant into building materials (saving several thousands of tonnes of CO2 per year).

This plant, which leads the way on a technical and environmental level, is part of the Edelway performance undertaking of Suez Environnement whose aims are to preserve natural resources, protect biodiversity and reduce greenhouse-gas emissions. These aims are achieved by providing support to local communities, as these communities will be the first to be concerned with tackling the environmental challenges of the 21st century.

The Green Product Line of Lyonnaise des Eaux systematically offers communities a carbon footprint audit and any related action plans. In fact, local public authorities account for 15% of greenhouse-gas emissions in France and local public services involved in water and sanitation are the third-highest emitters after education establishments and general administration.

Lyonnaise des Eaux has declared that its aim is to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions from the work it carries out on behalf of these communities and help them to fulfil their Climate Plan objectives.

For more information, visit www.suez-environnement.com.