VIVERACQUA HYDROBOND

Innovative financing solution for small and medium-sized local water utilities in the Italian region of Veneto. In July 2014 the EIB provided EUR 145.8 million of long-term financing to members of the Viveracqua Consortium to cover eligible water and wastewater components in their investment programmes. Following the good performance and market acceptance of the transaction, the EIB has been requested to increase its investment by up to an additional EUR 76m by providing new funding to further members of the Viveracqua Consortium, to an expected maximum amount of EUR 221.8 million. Total infrastructure project costs will increase to a maximum expected amount of EUR 502 million. The operation increase will be used by the new borrowers, in parallel with other sources of funding, to finance infrastructure investments in the Veneto region. Viveracqua Hydrobond has the additional goal of becoming a model for small companies operating in the integrated water sector.

Environmental protection and improving the quality of the water and wastewater services. The project will aim to: (i) secure and upgrade existing infrastructure; (ii) extend services to unserved areas; (iii) extend and rationalise water and sewer networks. Following the planned operation size increase, the number of inhabitants benefiting from new infrastructure investments in the areas covered by participating companies will increase from 2 million in July 2014 to 3.5 million after the transaction increase.

The investments are expected to have a positive net environmental and social impact, considering their focus on compliance and resource efficiency. Where and if applicable, the requirements of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Directive 2011/92/EU will be respected and the Bank will publish the non-technical summary of the relevant EIAs on its website. Possible impact on Natura 2000 or other environmentally sensitive areas will also be verified during appraisal.

The Bank will require the promoter to ensure that contracts for the implementation of the project have been/shall be tendered in accordance with the relevant applicable EU procurement legislation (2004/17/EC), with publication of tender notices in the EU Official Journal, as and where appropriate.