Marubeni to Double Water Assets

Marubeni is planning to invest $297m to double its international water assets within two years.

The Japan-based company plans to buy water-service companies in south-east Asia, Australia and the Middle East as well as acquire assets in Chile and China to double the number of people it supplies to ten million by March 2013.

The company previously completed a 40bn-yen ($475m) acquisition of Chilean water utility Aguas Nuevas.

Marubeni and its Beijing unit hold a 30% stake in a sewage treatment company in Anhui province of China, which also operates units in Guangdong, Jiangsu and Hunan provinces.

The Japanese water company plans to expand its business in south-east Asia through the Chinese venture, according to Bloomberg.