The two ten-year contracts will begin on 1st January 2018. Carcassonne Agglo urban area has jurisdiction for collective drinking water and wastewater treatment services in its 82 municipalities. Following consultation with the mayors of these municipalities, councillors made a unanimous decision to adopt two modes of management from 1st January 2018. The 34 municipalities1 located in the west of the region will be under a public service delegation contract, run by SUEZ, while the eastern part of the region will be managed directly by the urban community, through a public company.

The new contract covers many important issues such as protecting water as a resource, securing supply, innovation, prices and involving all stakeholders in the region’s energy transition.

Protecting and developing the resource :

– Improving existing infrastructure to improve efficiency;

– Securing the resource through optimum production capacity;

– Introducing tighter controls to guarantee water quality and protect waterways.

Securing supply, particularly in Carcassonne :

– Providing an extra million cubic metres;

– Implementing secure distribution (improved storage).

Innovation as a necessity :

– Improving service for inhabitants by using digital technology to provide better access to information and alerts in the case of leaks or over-expenditure;

– Creating an applied mapping laboratory;

– Implementing smart leak detection systems: communicative meters and latest generation acoustic sensors.

On this point, Régis Banquet, President of Carcassonne Agglo urban area said, “By 2026, 80% of customers will have a smart water meter. We are building a new way of life.”

Reducing prices :

Gradually bringing all water rates in line, with an overall reduction of more than 20% across the whole region.

SUEZ will also support Carcassonne Agglo urban area in its energy transition by providing a biogas plant to produce green energy, a hydrogen production station to supply the electric cars driven by SUEZ operators, photovoltaic panels on SUEZ facilities and a positive energy wastewater treatment service.

"SUEZ Group is proud to lend its expertise to Carcassonne Agglo urban area’s environmental and digital challenges for the next ten years. With these two new contracts, SUEZ pledges to make innovation the driving force behind its work to protect water as a resource. Faced with climate change and added pressure on the planet’s water, we will make an extra million cubic metres of water available by improving existing infrastructure." stated Bertrand Camus, Senior Executive VP Water Europe and CEO Water France