Brief introduction to the Water and Waste Water Company Havlíčkův Brod, a.s.

The company is a medium size water company within the Czech republic water sector. VaKHB is of a “mixed type”, that means the company owns and operates the water infrastructure assets in its region.

The company was established in 1993 as a result of transformation / privatization of its county based predecessor East Bohemian water co. Majority ownership (89%) the VaKHB Plc is owned by the local municipalities, remaining 11% are private investors – mostly individual physical persons. Base capital of the company is CZK 841.545 mil., equivalent EUR 35.064 (1EUR =24 CZK), company´s own assets are in access of CZK 1.254 bill. , EUR 52.25mill.

Key points from the VaKHB AGM approved corporate strategy:

• Top quality and reliable water and waste water service (core business)
• Keep the water tariffs at social / reasonable levels
• Develop and sustain profitable non-core business
• Responsible long term planned top quality care (upgrading, repairs and maintenance) of its infrastructure
• Remain always in municipal hands and in “mixed model” (own and operate)
• Use of BAT (best available technologies) and full compliance with the EU standards
• Growing commercial results for the shareholders
• Environmentally friendly business
• Company owns and operates (except for their 2 biogass co-generation power units) two PVE (photovoltaic plants), one of them with patented direct DC power from the PVE panels pumping system
• Being very stable model – company is actively looking for expansion of their core business in CZ, their non-core (e.g. PVE) elsewhere
• VaKHB went through significant efficiency drive with their new board and chairman over the past 5 years (increase in profitability 400% mainly from non-core, inflating tariffs only), diversification, and expansion drive – likely the best in the country

The core activity of the company is top quality drinking water and waste water service.

The company supplies with water population of some 71 thousand in their core territory, and re- sales / transfers its drinking water (wholesale) for another approx. 48 thousand people supplied by other water companies in its neighbouring regions. VaKHB owns and operates 3 drinking water plants, some 888 km of water mains, 75 drinking water service reservoirs (total capacity approx. 34 thousand m3). Total volume of sold water in their core business is 3,3 mill.m 3 p.a., plus 2,7 mil. m3 p.a. of drinking water re-sold to other water companies. All water supply system is actively controlled from one control room (manned 24hrs/day), all supplied water 100% meets the European standards. All water assets are adequately protected with remote data and alarms transmission. The company operates their own drinking water laboratory, water loses in the system (as a result of the systematic care) are 12.5% of the total volume water produced, one of the best results in the country.

The waste water service is provided to approx. 55000 population in the core territory, VaKHB operates a waste water network of 325km, 11 Waste water treatment plants, total treated volume of Ww is 7.2mill. m3 p.a. The central WwTP in Havlickuv Brod is the largest in the Highland (Vysočina) county with their 125,000 PE, and two running cogeneration units (0.3MW of power produced) from the sludge digestion gasses. As a result the waste water plant is fully self-sufficient in power supply.

The VaKHB has numerous relevant to their core and non-core business licenses and activities, core business and key mission is efficient operation and maintenance of the water and waste water assets.

The company, as the only water company in CZ, diversified in the right time of governmental subsidies, into PVE and owns and operates two photovoltaic power plants on roofs of their assets, with total peak capacity of 0.58 MW. One of the achievements was development and patent of direct DC PVE pumping system awarded 1st price in national competition of environmental projects by the Czech minister of environment and the Businss leaders forum of Prince of Wales trust.

VaKHB owns and operates certificates of integrated quality and management systems ISO 9001 (2009), ISO 14001 (2005) and EN OHSAS 18001 (2008).

Annual turnover of the company is in access of CZK 230 mill. (EUR approx. 10m.), from the core business some CZK 177 mill., infrastructure depreciation gets regularly fully reinvested into the infrastructure (approx. CZK 70 mill.), company operates a new infrastructure co-financing fund for their municipal shareholders, runs profit at approx. CZK 15 mill. p.a. and pays regularly dividends to their shareholders after their AGM.

The company employs some 150 employees across the region, with excellent operation skills and experience.

The board (with executive powers) consists of 7 member (representing main shareholders), chaired with dr. Pavel Policar, M.Sc. with over 20 years of water sector executive experience (over 10 years in the UK), a leading water expert in the country. Supervisory board consists of 6 members (2 of them are employees by law).