Veolia signs deal for a desalination project in Kazakhstan

French utility giant Veolia has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Kazyna Capital Management for developing a new seawater desalination plant in Kazakhstan.

Expected to be developed in the city of Aktau, the planned facility will have the capacity to deliver 125,000m³ of treated water per day.

It is intended to supply water to industries and the population of the Aktau and Zhanaozen cities, both of which are located in the oil province of the Manghystau.

The deal follows a study conducted by Veolia in partnership with the Kazakhstan Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Centre on behalf of the Manghystau region.

The study was backed by the French authorities and intended to define a business model that allows private sector participation for implementation of the desalination project.

Kazyna Capital Management is a subsidiary of Baiterek National Holding, which is a public fund company in Kazakhstan.

Kazyna Capital Management offers equity capital to firms at various stages of growth through private equity funds, along with other investors in order to support sustainable development of the national economy in Kazakhstan.

Veolia offers entire range of services to industrial clients and public authorities for the design, build, maintenance and upgrades of water and wastewater treatment plants through its subsidiary Veolia Water Solutions.

Earlier this month, Veolia had completed maintenance and refurbishment works for the Ceres wastewater treatment plant in South Africa.

The facility is used for treatment of industrial wastewater and supports a fruit processing plant for The Ceres Beverage Company.