Energy Partners Water (EP Water) – a division of Energy Partners and part of the PSG Group – this week announced its merger with water purification specialist, Venus Water Treatment, after concluding the purchase of a 100% stake in the company. The merger comes at the end of a months-long partnership between Energy Partners Water and Venus Water.
Andre Agenbag, Divisional Head of EP Water, explains that the merger adds significant manufacturing and project execution capability to EP Water’s portfolio. “EP Water has been operating for just over two years now, and we have been involved in a number of local and international projects, including consulting work for one of Saudi Arabia’s largest water purification plants. To date, we have outsourced manufacturing & construction to third parties such as Venus Water.”
He adds that in keeping with EP Water’s vision to provide end-to-end solutions, incorporating manufacturing into the division’s in-house services was the logical next step. “This allows us to provide clients with a secure and cost effective water supply in a simple and efficient manner.”
“We have seen considerable interest from Energy Partners’ existing clients, as well as potential clients, in water supply and purification solutions. As people become more aware of the increasing cost of water – and the potential business impact should the supply be interrupted – more and more business owners are investing in off-grid water supply systems.”
“With the capabilities acquired through this merger, we will be better able to provide containerised water plants that are designed according to clients’ exact requirements and are easy to deploy on site.”
For Venus Water’s existing client base, the merger allows them to benefit from the outsourced service model that Energy Partners has already perfected throughout all of its divisions. This means that clients may enter into a Water Treatment Agreement with Energy Partners and pay only for the water they use, without needing to invest any upfront capital to acquire treatment equipment.
CEO and founder of Venus Water, Philip van Schoor, will stay on with the company and assist with the integration over the coming months. “Philip brings a wealth of experience to the team, having been active in the water sector for over 45 years. We are thrilled to be able to add his skillset to our division,” Agenbag says.
“This is an exciting new chapter for Venus Water and we look forward to providing our current client base with even more options and services. This merger also opens up a host of new opportunities for the team which we have built over the years for them to apply their considerable skills to new and larger projects,” Van Schoor says.
The next step, according to Agenbag, will be to ensure effective integration of the new team into EP Water’s operation. “The water sector is about to see significant growth over the coming years, and EP Water is therefore ramping up its capabilities to meet this demand,” Agenbag concludes.