Almar Water Solutions sponsors Investagua
- Why invest in water? The list of reasons goes on and on, but if we had to stick to one: investing in water is ensuring our future.
Almar Water Solutions sponsored Investagua, an event that was held from 12th to 23rd April in online format due to the restrictions of the Covid-19 pandemic. Almar Water Solutions was the main sponsor due to its status as a project developer and investor, and because it firmly believes that solutions are needed from the government to enable private companies to take on a larger role in improving and expanding the water infrastructure in Spain and the rest of the world.
On the first day, and following the participation of Teresa Ribera, Fourth Vice-President of the Spanish Government and Minister for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge, Carlos Cosín, CEO of Almar Water Solutions, opened the cycle of presentations with the keynote speech. In his intervention, Carlos touched on many issues that are necessary for the implementation of measures and to enhance the value of water. Some of the topics that he discussed included regulation, political will, education, investment in innovation, project financing and European water funds. From there, Carlos stressed “there has never been such an appetite for financing the water sector” and “only with political will and public awareness will we make progress and meet the goals of sustainable development and the fight against climate change“.
Following his speech, a thread of discussion was opened during which Carlos commented that private companies are positioned in the water sector as the travelling companions of the administrations and public entities, and that they are willing to finance and contribute experience to the water projects that are needed both in Spain and in other countries that suffer from water stress and lack of resources.
The second presentation by Almar Water Solutions was by Arantxa Mencía, global business development director, who participated in the round table on the final day, together with executives from other large water companies. Teodoro Estrela, Director-General for Water at the Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge, who participated in the previous presentation, spoke before the opening of a round table where topics such as the Sustainable Development Goals, investment needs, recovery plans, mergers and acquisitions, tenders, PPPs and the circular economy, among others, were discussed. Arantxa, with more than two decades of experience in the water sector, provided ideas and examples of public-private partnerships that Almar Water Solutions is currently implementing. Arantxa also highlighted the role of these tools for the development of projects in areas that have a lack of liquidity and a high success rate in their infrastructure construction.
Now more than ever, with an economy reeling from the coronavirus, it is time to discuss, collaborate and agree on roadmaps to provide resources to a sector that always gives back much more than it receives. Investagua brought together the key players in the management of urban water cycle services and infrastructure in Spain to present their investment plans and programs and, above all, to discuss how to implement them. It is time to make public-private partnerships a key tool for moving towards the future.
Almar Water Solutions’ experience in international markets, together with the financial strength of Abdul Latif Jameel, make it the ideal partner to develop and manage water infrastructure to ensure a constant supply of water for domestic, agricultural or industrial use.