Water PPPs Gain Acceptance, Financing in Canada

On 6 November 2015, the Saint John, New Brunswick City Council awarded a design-build-finance-operate-maintain (DBFOM) water system project with a 33-year term to Port City Water Partners (PCWP). The Council chose PPCWP among three consortia bidding on the project.

Acciona Presses On Despite ATLL Limbo

On 23 July 2015, the Catalan Parliament voted to delay the transfer of Barcelona’s bulk water supplier, Aigües Ter de Llobregat (ATLL) from current licensee Acciona Agua to a public water agency. The vote is the latest chapter in a three-year legal battle between Acciona, Agbar, and the Catalan government surrounding the validity of the tender process and the qualifications of the winning bid. This battle took a major turn in Agbar’s favor on 20 June when the Catalan Supreme Court annulled the ATLL award to Acciona on the grounds of an unequal selection process. The Catalan government lacks funds to compensate Acciona for the expropriation.