EVIDES WATER SUPPLY & REUSE

The project will support the promoter's capital expenditures programme 2025-2028 to enhance and ensure quality, security and efficiency of water supply and treatment, including distribution network investments.

The aim is to secure or enhance the quality of life to up to 2.5 million residents in the provinces of Zeeland, the south-west of the province South-Holland and the west of the province North Brabant by improving the reliability and affordability of the drinking water supply service. The project will ensure continued compliance with the Water Framework Directive (2000/60/EC), the Drinking Water Directive (2020/2184) and national norms.

The Project is in line with the InvestEU objective of Environment. The appraised programme will consist in the renewal and upgrade of the water treatment and distribution infrastructure for the supply of both drinking water and for industrial purposes, bringing existing facilities into compliance with key European water directives as well as enhancing the robustness of the water and service quality. Overall, the project is aligned with the European policy of the protection of the environment and the European Green Deal, consistent with the national / local priorities (e.g.National Action Program on Security of Supply,Clean Maas Water Chain etc). The Project will contribute to the Bank's policy objectives of Sustainable Energy and Natural Resources, as well as horizontally to Climate Action and Environmental Sustainability. The Project will also contribute to improving the efficiency of the water supply system while increasing its resilience against climate related risks.

These benefits would not be realized to the same extent without public intervention. The operation will allow for sufficient financial resources for the timely implementation of the project, as well as for the investments to be spread out and that the tenor of the loan links in with the economic life of the respective assets. The EIB loan will provide key support, ensuring optimal funding conditions in terms of costs and tenor, diversifying the borrower's funding base and potentially attracting other co-lenders to the projects. Given the counterparty's high investments level combined with increasing level of indebtedness and own funds exposure ratios towards banks, the guarantee substantially enhances the EIB contribution in terms of loan amount, tenor and risk structure (unsecured).

The project would not have been carried out (to the same extent) by the EIB without the InvestEU support.

The investment programme is geared toward securing a sustainable management of drinking water supply, production and distribution, bringing about a positive social and environmental impact. The upgrade of pumping stations and other network and process optimization measures are examples of components with environmental/water resource efficiency impacts.

The promoter has to ensure that contracts for the implementation of the project have been and will be tendered in accordance with the relevant applicable EU procurement legislation: Directive 2014/25/EU, where applicable, as well as Directive 92/13/EEC, as interpreted by the Court of Justice of the EU, with publication of tender notices in the Official Journal of the EU, as and where required.