Signaling the awareness that the need for significant investment is global, the current situation and the future of water services was thoroughly discussed at the “Future of Water Services and the Investment Environment in Turkey” meeting sponsored by Akifer.

Access to drinking water and wastewater services in Turkey is far behind world standards and European legislation due to investment and operation needs, which determine the quality of water.

The “Future of Water Services and the Investment Environment in Turkey” meeting was held at the Istanbul Ceylan Intercontinental Hotel on June 17^th, 2009 to assess development opportunities and the future of the industry. Sponsored by Akifer Water Services, discussions at the Arena revolved around Water Management, Planning and Control, The Use of Water Sources, Cost, Pricing and Financing Needs, and investment models like public-private collaboration were thoroughly analyzed with examples from the world.

Among the participants were Mustafa Eldemir, Deputy Secretary of the Ministry of Environment and Forestry; Akif Özkaldı, the Assistant General Manager of State Hydraulic Works; Hidayet Atasoy, the General Manager of Bank of Provinces; Ercan Topaca, the General Director for Local Authorities; Mevlüt Vural, General Manager of Istanbul Water&Sewerage Administration; İlhan Bayram, General Manager of İzmit Water&Sewerage Administration, as well as Ulrich Zachau, the World Bank Country Director for Turkey; Michael Davey, the Country Director for Turkey of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development; Alain Terraillon, the European Investment Bank Country Director for Turkey; Michael Beckereit, President of German Water Partnership and the HamburgWasser, and other representatives of the private sector.  At the Arena, Akifer’s Managing Partner Evren Köprülü said the following:

“The main reason why the drinking and wastewater infrastructure and service standards in Turkey are behind European countries is financing, and the lack of public-private cooperation projects in this field.  The provision of water services almost entirely by the public sector makes it impossible for the public sector to undertake an investment and operation financing need of approximately 180 billion, whether in the short or long run.  Public authorities, usually left to their own devices as far as resources are concerned, will be able to collaborate with the private sector with the new legislation, and achieve great development in meeting this key human need.”

Prominent representatives of the public and private sectors attending the Water Arena emphasized that the Water Law and Integrated Basin Management, in addition to steps taken towards regulating the industry, environmentally-friendly management of water and the contribution of the private sector, would be great milestones of sustainable development.

About Akifer

Thames Water Altyapı Hizmetleri Limited Şirketi, the Turkish subsidiary of Thames Water, was acquired by Akifer Su Hizmetleri Ticaret Limited Şirketi, and was renamed “Akifer”.  Akifer began business development in Turkey, and undertook the operation and maintenance of the İzmit Domestic and Industrial Water Supply Project.

With the acquisition, the corporate culture of Thames Water, one of the world’s largest drinking water and wastewater services companies, served as the foundation of Akifer’s approach to operation and maintenance.

The people asset and engineering expertise of Akifer derives from the experience gained by its members as part of the Thames Water team in Turkey during the last decade, and their commitment to sustainable development in the provision of water services.

Akifer –the Turkish spelling of Aquifer– is by definition an underground layer of water-bearing permeable rock or unconsolidated materials that allow groundwater to travel great distances and join underwater streams or wells.  As a natural water transfer line, “Akifer” represents the company’s main business of drinking water and wastewater services.

Akifer Managing Partner Evren Köprülü said that as the path to private and public cooperation is cleared, an important step in the operation and management of water projects would be taken. 

Akifer CEO Frank Pawley spoke at the Water Arena and said that although the contribution of the private sector is perceived as costly, it is in truth a sustainable business model when considering the technology achieved, the adequacy of financing access, and efficiency.

Many Turkish and foreign bureaucrats and academics attended the Water Arena to discuss the water investment environment.

Thames Water Turkey, the provider of uninterrupted water supply to the people of Kocaeli for a decade with the İzmit Domestic and Industrial Water Supply Project, has been acquired by its management.

After years of successful service in the Kocaeli region with many years of domestic and international experience, Thames Water Turkey was acquired by its Middle East and Turkey top management, Evren Köprülü and Frank Pawley.  Although not very common in Turkey, management buyouts are practiced across the world due to the extensive knowledge of current risks and circumstances by the immediate management of a company.  The new entity will bear the name “Akifer”, and continue to implement drinking water and wastewater projects across Turkey.

Akifer’s Managing Partner Evren Köprülü noted that for a decade, Thames Water has been successfully operating the İzmit Domestic and Industrial Water Supply Project, the largest privately-funded water supply project of Turkey, with the momentum created by its worldwide technical expertise and human resources, and added:

“As Akifer, our objective is to offer our experience in the operation and maintenance of water services to other municipalities.  Therefore, we joined forces with other companies that shared our passion for building and operating projects focused on financial and technical efficiency, and set upon a journey to operate and maintain water projects according to national and European standards.”

Köprülü said that almost all water services in Turkey are being operated by public authorities, and summarized the reasons that led them to become investors in Turkey as follows:

“Notwithstanding harmonization with EU legislation, there are issues in providing drinking water and wastewater services that achieve world standards.  The drinking water and wastewater investment required for Turkey runs into hundreds of billions of dollars, and under the current circumstances, it seems difficult for public authorities to meet this demand without support from the private sector.  Considering that the proportion of noninvestment water can reach 65% in some provinces despite the imminent decline in our water sources, we believe that the partnership between the public and private sectors is a mandatory solution to these problems.  This is why Akifer stands ready to fulfill its responsibilities for the development of sustainable operation and maintenance practices with the partnerships it hopes to establish.”

Köprülü explained that through the projects they are prepared to implement across Turkey, they will provide services for the operation and the management of maintenance, power and labor costs of treatment plans, storage for preventing water shortages, and the establishment and maintenance of state-of-the-art infrastructure elements such as SCADA, Cathode Protection and Hydrological Modeling, helping relieve the pressure on municipalities who are already struggling to increase service levels.

Köprülü said that they have always adhered to these principles in the operation and maintenance of the İzmit Domestic and Industrial Water Supply Project for a decade, achieving technical excellence as well as becoming a responsible corporate citizen with environmental management systems, biodiversity, investment in people and social responsibility efforts, and that they were passionate about sharing this corporate culture.

Köprülü expressed his awareness of their duty to improve the investment environment of Turkey, and said that they would bring together the public and private representatives of drinking water and wastewater services.

Participants of the “Future of Water Services and the Investment Environment in Turkey” to be held at the Istanbul Ceylan Intercontinental Hotel on June 17^th, 2009 will exchange opinions on Regulatory Works on Water Services in Turkey, Integrated Basin Management, The Quality Approach to Water Services, Consumers, Local Administrations and the Contribution of the Private Sector to Water Distribution, Public and Private Business Models, and Global Examples for Water Management.

Expected participants of the Arena are Veysel Eroğlu, the Minister of Environment and Forestry; Haydar Koçaker, the General Directorate of State Hydraulic Works; Hidayet Atasoy, the General Manager of Bank of Provinces, as well as Ulrich Zachau, the World Bank Country Director for Turkey; Michael Davey, the Country Director for Turkey of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development; Alain Terraillon, the European Investment Bank Country Director for Turkey, and other representatives of the private sector.

Thames Water Altyapı Hizmetleri Limited Şirketi, the Turkish subsidiary of Thames Water, was acquired by Akifer Su Hizmetleri Ticaret Limited Şirketi, and was renamed “Akifer”.  Akifer began business development in Turkey, and undertook the operation and maintenance of the İzmit Domestic and Industrial Water Supply Project.

With the acquisition, the corporate culture of Thames Water, one of the world’s largest drinking water and wastewater services companies, served as the foundation of Akifer’s approach to operation and maintenance.

The people asset and engineering expertise of Akifer derives from the experience gained by its members as part of the Thames Water team in Turkey during the last decade, and their commitment to sustainable development in the provision of water services.

Akifer –the Turkish spelling of Aquifer– is by definition an underground layer of water-bearing permeable rock or unconsolidated materials that allow groundwater to travel great distances and join underwater streams or wells.  As a natural water transfer line, “Akifer” represents the company’s main business of drinking water and wastewater services.