EPM, EAAB join forces to take on projects, expand to other markets

Colombian multi-utility Empresas Públicas de Medellín ( EPM) and Bogotá water and sewerage company EAAB have signed an agreement to work together on four projects, EPM reported on its website. The projects include the improvement of water quality in the Bogotá river, which is expected to cost some US$1bn over 10 years, and the construction of a wastewater treatment plant in the Aburrá valley, expected to cost some US$350mn. In addition, the companies will work together to enter regional markets in Cundinamarca, Antioquia, and other parts of Colombia, and to start offering their services abroad. The agreement between the two utilities should be seen as a practical one, focusing on concrete projects, rather than as a mere declaration of the desire to work together, EPM general manager Juan Felipe Gaviria said. EMP and EAAB are the two largest providers of potable water and sanitation services in Colombia. Together they serve some 10 million people, a figure that represents a quarter of all Colombians.