Financing treatment of water
It's in our name: Aqua-fin and 'fin' stands for finance. All of the projects we carry out for the Flemish Region are also financed by us. Thus, in order to be able to carry out the projects, we have to constantly search for investors. They know that their investments are the basis for clean watercourses and a living environment in harmony with water. As an investor, are you interested in our projects? Then be sure to contact our Finance Department. With great enthusiasm we look together with you at your reversed enquiry.
Financing is part of our core business
The “fin” in Aquafin stands for finance, one of the main reasons why the Flemish Region set up Aquafin in 1990. At that time, just 30% of domestic waste water in Flanders was treated before entering a watercourse. Aquafin not only had to develop the treatment infrastructure rapidly and manage it, the company also had to finance the projects necessary for this. This ensured that the impact of the huge investments on government budgets remained low.
Thus, in order to carry out the projects, Aquafin has to constantly go to the financial market. For projects delivered to the region, the company takes out long-term loans, for projects in progress it seeks short-term finance. By the end of 2022, Aquafin had already delivered 4.5 billion in projects to the region.
Aquafin is assessed annually based on these 5 specific indicators:
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is the capacity of the (screw) pumps of the waste water treatment plants used sufficiently?
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is the water treated sufficiently there?
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is the capacity of the main pumping stations in the sewer system used sufficiently?
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are the overflows not working more than expected?
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does Aquafin respond sufficiently to incidents occurring in the water treatment infrastructure?
Green investment
More and more investors want to invest in projects offering added value for the environment and society. Aquafin capitalises on this trend by a Green Finance Framework.This framework explains in which assets Aquafin invests the funds it can raise by issuing Green debt instruments. After all, all of the projects we carry out help improve water quality. Projects for disconnecting stormwater from the treatment infrastructure and optimisation projects to defend the environment better against climate change offer an extra dimension in terms of sustainability.
Who pays the bill?
In Flanders, the water companies are responsible for treating the water used by their customers. They enter into an agreement for this with Aquafin, which assumes the task of treatment for them. Aquafin invoices the water companies for the investment costs as well as the operating costs for the development and management of the regional treatment infrastructure. The water companies can obtain part of the payment from the MINA fund, which is topped up by general tax revenue. They pass on the remainder to consumers via water bills, according to the principle of “the polluter pays”. Consumers also pay the contribution for the removal of waste water via the municipal sewer infrastructure via their water bills. The municipality or its sewer operator must use this income to invest in the infrastructure.
Interested in financing Aquafin?
