2023-12-20 18:03:16
Aqualia just received the award’Impact project/investment of the year 2023‘ provided by the Environmental Finance publication. The award recognizes “the diverse and large-scale geographical impact” of the green syndicated loan of 1.1 billion euros that the company received in 2022 from ten banking entities led by CaixaBank.
A panel made up of experts from the sector, together with the editorial team of ‘Environmental Finance’, have decided to award the prize to the operation carried out in June 2022 and which involved the largest green credit granted in Spain and one of the largest in Europe during the past year. The Norwegian foundation DNV, an expert in assurance and risk management, provided a second opinion on the loan, aligned with the Green Lending Principles of the Loan Market Association. The annual Environmental Finance Impact Awards seek to recognize the work of investors and highlight best practice across asset classes and geographies.
Aqualia is using the loan to, among other things, improve the energy efficiency of wastewater plants, optimize energy consumption and water losses in its water supply systems, develop desalination plants with reduced carbon footprint, generate hydroelectric energy with low greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, acquisition of zero GHG emissions vehicles and the construction of anaerobic digestion facilities for sewage sludge and biowaste for the generation of electricity with minimization of methane leaks.
As indicated Isidoro Marbán, Economic and Financial Director (CFO) of Aqualia “One of our 2023 milestones is that almost 50% of our EBITDA comes from international activities. However, we do not want to measure our performance exclusively in economic terms, but also “We strive to constantly improve the seven lines that make up our sustainability strategy.”
At the end of 2022, Aqualia has made the following environmental advances within its Green Financing Framework and Strategic Sustainability Plan. Increased its use of renewable energy to 34.15%, with a target of 50% by 2030, reduced its energy use by more than 3% of the target, reduced non-revenue water by 1%, getting closer to its 2023 target , and supervised 13%. adoption of low-emission vehicles in its Spanish fleet.
Aqualia, as the first company in the sector certified by AENOR in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), demands management of water resources that considers water as an element fundamental for development and engine of change to promote a more just societyone of the challenges of the 2030 Agenda. The company bases its purpose on this conception: ensuring the well-being of the people in the communities where it works, with the sustainable provision of integral water cycle services and guaranteeing with pride and commitment the universal and glocal right to this natural resource.
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