By SHARON UDASIN
06/25/2013 19:36
Haifa-based Mapal Green Energy will be bringing its floating aeration system into a municipal wastewater treatment plant in Stanbridgeford, north of London.
An Israeli developer of advanced water purification systems will next week install its technology in an English wastewater treatment plant in the country’s Midlands, after signing a contract to do so earlier this month.
Haifa-based Mapal Green Energy will be bringing its floating aeration system into a municipal wastewater treatment plant in Stanbridgeford, north of London, run by Anglian Water. Based on the success of this first installation, Mapal will have the opportunity to upgrade many of the 1,000 waste water treatment plants owned by Anglian Water, which provides water to 6 million customers in the region. The goal is to implement Mapal’s floating, fine-bubble aeration system to significant reduce energy consumption as well as operation and maintenance costs of the plants, according to the firm.
“Building bridges between Israeli companies like Mapal and British water companies enables the British water industry to cut its emissions and significant energy costs,” said Yoni Dolgin, Cleantech Manager of the UK-Israel Tech Hub. “Looking internationally, British firms – SMEs and larger infrastructure companies – can gain a global competitive advantage by partnering with Israeli water companies who have deep technical expertise in areas such as wastewater treatment, desalination, precision agriculture, and IT solutions for water networks.”
The UK-Israel Tech Hub, an initiative based at the Israeli embassy in London, has long supported Mapal’s penetration into the British market, the company said.
Mapal has been involved with the British Foreign Office’s TouchDown program, which helps companies from abroad develop their activities in Great Britain.
In this process, Mapal has now officially established a UK subsidiary called Mapal UK, and has become one of only two Israeli cleantech firms to operate in the British market.
The second is the company Takadu, which provides a software solution for detecting leakage in the aging British water infrastructure.
Mapal initially raised £1.7 million from British investors toward establishing the subsidiary, and has now completed raising an additional £1.5 million, the company said. Concurrently, Mapal is in advanced negotiations with a second leading UK water utility, which also operates hundreds of wastewater treatment plants.
Because the British water market is a private one, Mapal executives feel that the company’s technologies are particularly attractive to this sector, according to CEO Zeev Fisher.
“These private entities have a greater incentive to find methods and new technologies to reduce their operation and maintenance costs, mainly the energy costs in the aeration process, and to improve their profitability, as they are rigorously regulated by the government in both water quality effluent and prices,” Fisher said.
http://www.jpost.com/Business/Business-News/Israeli-water-treatment-firm-to-enter-UK-market-317705