EIB and Evides sign EUR 190m loan to improve water quality in Netherlands

“Many people don’t realise the amount of work and investment that go into the upkeep of such a high-quality water network as the Netherlands have.” Said the Head of Office of the EIB’s Amsterdam office Els Sweeney-Bindels.

The European Investment Bank (EIB) has signed a EUR 190 million loan agreement with Evides, the company that manages the drinking water supply in large parts of the south-western Netherlands. The loan supports investments to improve the quality and functionality of water treatment and distribution facilities and will increase the resilience of surface water supply during long periods of extreme weather events foreseen in the future, such as more frequent and prolonged drought periods.

Particularly, the financing will sustain Evides’ 2020-2024 investment programme, focussing mainly on the rehabilitation and upgrade of production installations, storage facilities and pumping stations. The project will thus secure or enhance the quality of life to up to 2.5 million residents in the provinces of Zeeland, the south-west of the province South-Holland and the west of the province North Brabant, by improving the reliability and affordability of the drinking water supply service.

“Many people don’t realise the amount of work and investment that go into the upkeep of such a high-quality water network as the Netherlands have.” Said the Head of Office of the EIB’s Amsterdam office Els Sweeney-Bindels. “The EIB has a long track record in the country, having financed nearly all water companies in the last 5 years, and we’re happy to support Evides again in their push to provide high-quality water to their clients.”

“This new facility underlines the mutual trust between the EIB and Evides Waterbedrijf. As a company, we are glad to be able to count on the financial support of the EIB to realise our investment ambitions for reliable water supply in the years to come.” Added Edgar Ruijgers, CFO at Evides N.V.

This is the second operation with Evides funded by the Bank, after the previous operation in 2014.