For Veolia, this is the largest European contract in drinking water. Delayed by appeals from Suez after a contested call for tenders, it will begin on January 1, 2025 for a period of 12 years and an amount of 4.3 billion euros. In doing so, Sedif continues to entrust its public service delegation to the company, which has been operating since the origin of the union in 1923.
Achieve a 93% rate of return
Due to global warming, water is becoming a resource in tension in many regions. And pollutants (nanoparticles, PFAS, etc.) complicate the production of drinking water, even if it remains “1000 times cheaper than bottled water», says Estelle Brachlianoff, CEO of Veolia. «And less than 1% of the household budget while 51% of users live in social housing”she adds.
For Sedif, the company manages 8,000 km of network and carries an investment of 2.4 billion euros. “When the call for tender was launched, we already had a high quality of service, continues the boss of Veolia. In this new contract, we are focusing on digital issues, with AI for predictive maintenance to improve network performance.”
Veolia has thus committed to reducing losses from 10 to 7%. On average, in France, networks record 17% losses. Estelle Brachlianoff insists on the need to preserve the resource, while “the flow of watercourses in the north of France will have fallen by 40% in 50 years and by 30 to 50% in the southern half.” And this is even though water consumption has fallen by around 3% in 2023, proof that the drought of 2022 has left its mark.
A large study on PFAS and 1% non-compliance
The new contract involves the development of innovations to meet the needs related to eternal pollutants (PFAS), endocrine disruptors, microplastics, etc. The technologies used by Veolia already make it possible to respond to 99% of cases. Moreover, following the new regulations on the 20 PFAS found in drinking water, the company conducted an eight-month detection campaign on all its sites in France, i.e. the analysis of 2,400 production points and invested in 30 mobile treatment units.
Result: more than 99% of sampling points are compliant. “For the 1% that are non-compliant, we are implementing action plans with activated carbon and/or membrane solutions, explains Anne du Crest, operations director for the water business in France. And in some cases, we quickly change resources.”
Above all, in the Sedif contract, Veolia has committed to developing reverse osmosis technology (already very present in desalination, but much less energy-intensive for water treatment alone) on the three Sedif sites for an investment of one billion euros. In Méry-sur-Oise, work will begin in 2026 for commissioning at the end of 2027. “this world first and ultimate barrier against micropollutants”, according to Veolia. For the other two plants that did not use nanofiltration, the work will take longer, because they require the construction of a new building. They will be spread out between 2026 and 2031.
And, still with a view to reducing household bills, Veolia has committed to producing drinking water without chlorine or limescale in the coming years. Avoiding limescale saves an average of 100 euros per household, according to the environmental services specialist, by reducing damage to taps and washing machines.
Source: www.usinenouvelle.com
