Annual Report 2011 - Analist.be

Percentage of share capital ................................................................ 7.2% (1)Percentage of voting rights ........................................................... 7.2% (1)Contribution to GBL’s adjusted net assets ....................... 2.7%Dividends collected by GBL ........................... EUR 23 million(1) Of which 0.3% in tradingOverview of the activitiesProfileSuez Environnement is one of the world’s top two players in environment activities,with a strong presence in Europe, particularly in France and Spain (Agbar), andoperating in more than 36 countries. The group is active in all water and wastecycles and operates under different banners such as SITA in the waste sector, andLyonnaise des Eaux, Ondéo Industrial Solutions, Safège, Degrémont, United Waterand Agbar in the water sector. It exercises its activities under different contractualforms, both for public bodies and for private sector operators, and has an extensivenetwork of subsidiaries and agencies. The company is organised into three mainbusiness lines: Water Europe, Waste Europe and International, which are themselvesdivided up into nine business units.In the Water sector, activities include the catchment, pumping, treatment anddistribution of drinking water, network maintenance and the operation of plants,customer management, collection and purification of domestic and industrialwaste water, the biological and energy development of sludge from the purificationprocess, and consumption control services.In the Waste sector, the group’s activities include among others the collectionof all kinds of waste (apart from radioactive waste) and urban waste, selection andpreliminary treatment of waste, recycling, material, biological and energy recoveryof recoverable waste, the elimination of residual waste by incineration or landfill andintegrated management of industrial sites, including in particular soil remediation,decontamination and rehabilitation as well as dismantling and decommissioningof end-of-life equipment.The International division primarily comprises the activities of Degrémont, worldleader in the design, construction and operation of drinking water production plants,sea water or brackish water desalination facilities, and waste water and sludgetreatment and recycling sites. The group is also active in the United States throughits subsidiary United Water, in China through water management and electricityconcessions in Macao, and its subsidiary SITA Waste Services for waste activitiesin Hong Kong, and in Australia, Central Europe and the Middle East.Overview of 2011In an economic environment of subduedrecovery, Suez Environnement recordedturnover growth above targets inall its businesses in 2011, reflectingdynamic commercial activity in Waterand Waste in Europe and sustainedgrowh in its International business.Regarding the results, performance wasimpacted by difficulties experiencedon the construction of the desalinationplant in Melbourne. The group neverthelessbenefited from the effectiveimplementation of its cost-cutting plan(Compass) and financial discipline ininvesting and liquidity management.In 2011, the group also reinforced strategicpositions in its different businesses,including acceleration of its Internationalexpansion. The acquisition of the Wasteactivities of WSN Environmental Solutionsconsolidated the group’s presence inAustralia. Similarly, the acquisition of PRSPin Poland reinforced Suez Environnement’sposition in Eastern Europe.The company also maintained resilientand innovation-oriented businessactivity through new service offerings,particularly in waste recovery, protectionof water resources and reduction ofenvironmental footprint.Globally, in the Water sector, Suez Environnement operated more than 1,200 drinkingwater production plants serving a population of 91 million people in 2011, and morethan 2,300 water treatment facilities covering the needs of 63 million people. In theWaste sector, the group provided collection services to nearly 57 million people andtreated nearly 42 million tonnes of waste. In the context of the merger between Suezand Gaz de France, Suez Environnement was floated on the Stock Exchange on22 July 2008, a transaction implemented through the distribution by Suez of 65%of the company to its shareholders.Annual Report 2011 53