WINNER OF PUBLIC TENDER FOR THE CONSTRUCTION, OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE OF A WATER PURIFICATION PLANT IN SERBIA

Gruppo Zilio (Italy), a company specialising in the development of water treatment systems and plants, has won a public tender called by the Municipality of Zrenjanin (Serbia), for the construction,operation and maintenance of a water purification plant. The agreement was officially signed today in Zrenjanin, in the presence of the Italian ambassador in Serbia Giovanni Manzo and the Major of Zrenjanin Mr. ?edomir Janji?.

Zrenjanin is the largest city in the autonomous province of Vojvodina, in the centre of the Serbian part of the Banat region, on the banks of the rivers Tisza and Begej. It is the city with the largest number of watercourses in Serbia. With almost 132,000 inhabitants, 80,000 of whom are within the city, the Municipality of Zrenjanin is the administrative centre of the district and the city with the most favourable business conditions in Serbia.

The pollution by arsenic and boron of drinkable running water is particularly concentrated in

northern Serbia, in the province of Vojvodina. In these areas, citizens need to use bottled mineral water in place of running tap water for everyday consumptions.

With a maximum capacity of 9 million m3/year and a potentiality of 286 l/s, the plant is able to eliminate the various water contaminants, such as colour, organic matter, ammonia, arsenic, iron, but also sodium and boron. The water purification plant will eliminate these pollutant elements from the water, thus improving the environment and generating savings for inhabitants, who will reduce their expenses in bottled mineral water.

The plant will use innovative technologies for the water filtration, such as the membranes of silicon carbide, the polymer membranes for reverse osmosis and the ion exchange resins. The plant will be completely automated and will include specific control tools for the constant monitoring of the filtered water. Moreover, the system will automatically block to prevent any risk from supplying unsuitable water in case of anomalies. The plant will be continuously monitored on site and remotely including a 24/7 assistance service availability.

Mr. Jean-Marc Janailhac, Gruppo Zilio’s Chairman and CEO, said, “EUR 6.5 million will be invested in this new project, which will generate revenues of EUR 40 million for 20 years. Gruppo Zilio will build and manage the plant for at least the following 15 years, guaranteeing the inhabitants of Zrenjanin a continuous supply of drinkable water, according to the standards set by the Serbian law.” “Project Zrenjanin is the culmination of a process started two years ago, when Gruppo Zilio began investing in Serbia through the creation of a brand new structure composed of highly skilled local professionals. Gruppo Zilio considers this project as a starting point in the process of improving water treatment facilities in Serbia through its extensive experience and innovation”, concluded Mr. Janailhac.