Jewish American businessman, controlling shareholder of RWL Water, says Israel a global hub in water technology. ‘Unfortunately it is also a world champion in bureaucracy,’ he adds

Lior Gutman, Calcalist
Published: 11.18.11, 10:46 / Israel Business

“A decade ago I realized that the future of the 21st century lies not in oil but in water. Israel is the global hub of water technologies,” Jewish American businessman Ronald Lauder, the controlling shareholder of RWL Water, said Wednesday.

“So I began looking into companies in the field that would be a good investment. Unfortunately, Israel is also a world champion when it comes to bureaucracy and I think there should be a government mechanism that deals with the water issue.”

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Lauder spoke at the Watech exhibition in Tel Aviv, where he also announced his acquisition of Italian waste water treatment company Eurotec WTT.

RWL Water is a private holding company founded by Lauder in 2010, which provides water treatment, wastewater and trash to energy solutions. The group also owns Israel’s Nirosoft and US Aeromix Systems, and its recent acquisition cements its position in the wastewater treatment market.

Lauder, one of the owners of Channel 10, refused to comment on the channel’s future, expected investments and discussions at the Knesset’s Financial Affairs committee as regards the channel’s debt.

“At this point I am not interested in commenting on Channel 10. There is a time and place for everything and I will comment on this issue in due time,” he concluded.

However, Lauder did extend his visit to Israel presumably to deal with the Channel 10 issue.

On Wednesday, the company announced that it would expand its activity to project financing (BOT). RWL says that tenders for desalination facilities take an average of 2.5 to three years in Israel, whereas they possess the ability to establish smaller desalination facilities within six months.

One of these facilities was constructed by the group in Cyprus.

“Ninety-seven percent of the water in the world is non-potable; a further 2% is trapped in icebergs which leaves only 1% of potable water. People cannot survive without water and I believe this is the future,” Lauder said.

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4149871,00.html