• VHS Benešov, in which SUEZ owns a 50 % stake, signed at the very end of 2022 a new 10-year contract with the newly established voluntary association of municipalities “Společná voda”. With a cumulative turnover of 200 million euros, this contract covers the treatment and distribution of drinking water and the collection and treatment of wastewater for 17 municipalities in the Benešov and Vlašim regions. It will provide water and wastewater services for 50 000 inhabitants of the region.

The signing of the contract is the final step of a collaboration started 3 years ago between SUEZ and local municipalities. It takes place following the creation of the voluntary association of municipalities Společná voda, its entry into VHS Benešov as a 50 % shareholder, and the conclusion of a long-term contractual relationship between the operating company VHS Benešov and the voluntary association of municipalities Společná voda.

This new 10-year contract in Central Bohemia will allow for water supply and wastewater collection for 50 000 inhabitants. It will include solutions to preserve water such as the deployment of smart meters in the region.

It represents a further strengthening of SUEZ’s position in the Czech Republic, which has been operating there for more than 30 years. SUEZ is present in the Czech water industry through four dedicated companies: the Brno Waterworks and Sewerage Company, in Brno and its surroundings, the Ostrava Waterworks and Sewerage Company, in Ostrava, the Karlovy Vary Waterworks and Sewerage Company, mainly in the Karlovy Vary and Tachov regions and the VHS Benešov a.s. in the Benešov and Vlašim regions.

Together, these four water companies supply drinking water as well as collecting and treating wastewater for 1 million inhabitants of the Czech Republic. They employ almost 1,700 employees and will have a turnover of almost 200 million euros in 2022. SUEZ also participated in consortiums for the construction of two major wastewater treatment plants in the country, the Brno-Modřice wastewater treatment plant and the the Prague-Troja wastewater treatment plant.

Jaroslav Hlavnicka, Chairman of the voluntary Association of municipalities called Společná voda, commented: “We are very pleased that our newly formed voluntary association of municipalities was able to enter the operating water company VHS Benešov a.s. with capital and at the same time to conclude a new contract with this company for 10 years. I am of the opinion that both will contribute to the long-term stabilization of the water industry in our region and to the provision of quality services to our citizens. We have had very good experiences with VHS Benešov and I believe that this will continue to be the case in the future.”

“We are very happy to support Společná voda in providing access to water services, with resilient and innovative solutions. This new contract at VHS Benešov illustrates the strength of the public-private partnerships our water companies have been developing in the Czech Republic to meet the challenges our customers are facing. It is a new step in the development of our Group in the region, in line with our strategy to increase the share of our international business by 2027” Sabrina Soussan ,Chairman and CEO of SUEZ.