Through its long-standing businesses, Veolia implements an array of solutions that ensure daily access to vital basic services for millions of people worldwide.
The Group’s businesses contribute to the well-being of communities and the attractiveness of regions.
In 2018, numerous events and projects illustrated the tasks that Veolia undertakes each and every day to ensure that an ever-growing number of people have access to resources.
Dhaka, Bangladesh
Meeting growing drinking water needs
Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, is confronted with declining aquifers at a time when its population – already 11 million people – continues to grow.
The volume of drinking water required is expected to double by 2030. In a bid to find a solution, the Bangladeshi government has undertaken the Dhaka Water Supply Project, which aims to diversify the sources of water, principally using surface water.
Against this backdrop, Veolia, in partnership with Suez, was awarded the design, build and operate contract for the Gandharbpur water production plant. From a river water intake, this plant will supply almost 4.3 million people with drinking water that meets the World Health Organization’s standards. Additionally, the entire facility has been designed to withstand the region’s frequent earthquakes.
Kwinana, Australia
The country’s first waste-to-energy plant
The Kwinana project, near Perth, is Australia’s first waste-to-energy plant. It is a sustainable solution for waste management and will provide an additional safe and affordable source of local energy. Operated by Veolia starting in 2021, the plant will process 400,000 metric tons of solid municipal waste, initially producing around 40 MWh of clean energy, enough to supply 50,000 households.
The project will comply with the most stringent standards (European directives on industrial emissions), while the atmospheric emissions will be monitored by a continuous emission measuring system. Veolia will operate and maintain the plant for an initial period of twenty-five years.
Couëron, France
From household waste to district heating
The contract to operate the Couëron waste processing and recovery plant was renewed in summer 2018.
At this plant, Veolia will treat the 185,000 metric tons of waste expected each year using three complementary processes: energy recovery from household waste, sorting selective collection, and treating unsorted waste from drop-off centers. This waste will produce 30,000 MWh of electricity per year, equivalent to the annual consumption of 1,900 households. Starting in October 2019, it will also provide steam to the Nantes district heating network and an industrial site.
Windhoek, Namibia
50 years producing drinking water from wastewater
Commissioned in 1968, in one of Africa’s most arid countries, the Windhoek treatment plant was the first in the world to develop a process that imitates nature to convert wastewater into drinking water. Supplying 23,000 cubic meters of water a day to a population of 350,000, it has become an international benchmark for innovative and sustainable water management.
Veolia stands out for its ability to leverage its state-of-the-art expertise and technology in response to highly complex situations.
Dismantling reactors
With part of the world’s fleet of nuclear reactors now ageing, nuclear plant dismantling and radioactive waste management are significant market opportunities. For some ten years now, Veolia has been offering management services in France for basic nuclear facilities and low-level radioactive waste, in particular at Saclay for CEA, the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission; at the Cires facility for Andra; and at the Centraco in Marcoule for EDF.
With around 900 employees, Veolia Nuclear Solutions now has clients in the United States, United Kingdom and Canada. In Japan, Veolia is participating in the long and complex work to dismantle the Fukushima power plant reactors.
In July 2018, the Group signed a partnership with EDF to dismantle six first-generation UNGG (uranium naturel graphite gaz) reactors and to treat the radioactive waste from them by vitrification.
Deconstructing submarines
In September 2018, in Cherbourg, France, Naval Group began the task of deconstructing five first-generation ballistic missile nuclear submarines (Le Tonnant, Le Terrible, Le Foudroyant, L’Indomptable and L’Inflexible).
As part of this unprecedented mission, Veolia has been contracted to deconstruct the submarines and recover materials from them.
The deconstruction yard for Le Tonnant in figures
- 6,100 metric tons: weight of a ballistic missile nuclear submarine
- 5,300 metric tons recovered, including 1,500 metric tons of hull, 2,000 of scrap metal, 800 of lead and 1,000 of nonferrous metals (stainless steel, copper, etc.)
- 20 Veolia employees working at the Cherbourg site
- 18 months: time required to deconstruct a ballistic missile nuclear submarine
Since 2014, Veolia has been engaged in deconstructing end-of-life surface vessels, such as the Jeanne d’Arc and Colbert.
of the materials extracted from the deconstruction of the submarines – mainly ferrous and nonferrous metals – can be recovered.
