Aguas de Panama S.A.

completed

In April 1998 the Instituto de Acueductos y Alcantarillados Nacionales (IDAAN), the National Water Company of Panama awarded the Lake Gatun Potable Water Supply Concession to Aguas de Panama S.A. (APSA), a special purpose company created by British water company Biwater Supply Limited, though an international bid. Under the Concession Contract APSA will, throughout the thirty year concession period, abstract water from Lake Gatun, treat it and deliver an agreed daily volume of potable water [varying between 15 and 20 million gallons per day (mgd)] into the existing distribution system at Nuevo Chorrillo. The towns of Arraijan, Chorrera and Capira served by the Nuevo Chorrillo water supply system have a present total population of 270,000, and are facing an acute water shortage due to the inability of IDAAN to produce sufficient water to supply the population in these areas. IFC is now being asked to consider financing of up to $16 million to replace bridge shareholder financing from Biwater Supply Limited used to construct the facilities, which began operation in September 2002. The principal components of the project include: raw water intake works at Lake Gatun, with associated pretreatment filters and pumping station; an 11 km, buried, pressurized pipeline that carries raw water to the water treatment works (WTW) at Nuevo Emperador; a 20 mgd capacity WTW and associated works (Laguna Alta), and an 9.3 km buried, gravity pipeline that takes treated water to the distribution system.