Aquafin N.V.
Aquafin N.V. is the Flemish public utility that finances, builds, and operates above-municipal wastewater treatment and sewer infrastructure for the Flemish Region, running 325 treatment plants and 7,085 km of pipelines serving 86–88% of Flemish residents, with industrial services via its Aquaplus subsidiary.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1990
- HeadquartersAartselaar, Belgium
- Headcount1,001–5,000
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Aquafin N.V. does
Aquafin N.V. is a Flemish public utility company founded in 1990 and headquartered in Aartselaar, Belgium, wholly owned by PMV (Participatiemaatschappij Vlaanderen). Under a rolling 20-year cooperation agreement with the Flemish Region effective January 2023, Aquafin finances, builds, and manages above-municipal wastewater treatment and sewer infrastructure, operating 325 wastewater treatment plants (RWZIs) and 7,085 km of pipelines that treat household wastewater from 86–88% of Flemish residents, managing €4.5 billion in above-municipal infrastructure assets.
Its core technology stack combines mechanical, biological, and quaternary wastewater treatment with sludge digestion at 13 installations (producing biogas, biomethane, and dried pellets), riothermie heat recovery, and a layer of digital platforms (Rosi for municipal sewer inspection tracking, Blue Portal, Status Tool) plus a cloud-based AI digital twin (RWZI Beringen/Beveren) and smart storm water pump control integrating precipitation forecasts. FY2022 turnover was €631M with an allocatable profit of €5.1M, reflecting cost-recovery-plus economics typical of regulated public utilities.
Aquafin distributes its services through direct contracts with the Flemish Region (via VMM) for above-municipal infrastructure and through structural partnerships with Flemish drinking water companies Pidpa, water-link, De Watergroep (Riopact), and Farys for municipal sewer management, reaching more than half of Flemish cities and municipalities. Industrial wastewater services are delivered via its wholly-owned Aquaplus subsidiary, serving food & beverage, chemical, and pharmaceutical clients. Customer segments are cities and municipalities, the Flemish Region (VMM), companies and businesses (via Aquaplus), researchers and innovation partners, and industrial verticals, with pricing negotiated under government procurement frameworks rather than published.
Aquafin N.V. firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Aquafin N.V.
- Legal name
- Aquafin NV
- Website
- https://aquafin.be
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1990
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1,001–5,000 employees
- Short description
- Aquafin N.V. is the Flemish public utility that finances, builds, and operates above-municipal wastewater treatment and sewer infrastructure for the Flemish Region, running 325 treatment plants and 7,085 km of pipelines serving 86–88% of Flemish residents, with industrial services via its Aquaplus subsidiary.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Aquafin N.V. industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Water Utility Services
- NAICS
- Sewage Treatment Facilities (22132), Water, Sewage and Other Systems (2213)
- SIC
- Sanitary Services (4950), Electric, Gas & Sanitary Services (4900)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Water Supply & Wastewater Utilities Administration (BPAIACAG)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Municipal Wastewater Collection (Sewer Networks) (BPALAMAA), Water Reclamation & Reuse Production (Tertiary/Advanced Treatment) (EUANADAD), Industrial Wastewater & Effluent Treatment Services (BPALAHAD)
Keywords
Where Aquafin N.V. is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Aartselaar
- HQ country
- Belgium
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Aquafin N.V. business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Infrastructure, Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- Government financing from Flemish Region: Aquafin receives public financing from the Flemish Region (via VMM) for financing, constructing, and managing above-municipal wastewater treatment infrastructure. Costs and revenues are allocated to activities for the Flemish Region, separate from municipalities. The 2023 cooperation agreement grants Aquafin a coordinating role and greater autonomy for investment programmes.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels8 records
Aquafin N.V. product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Aquafin N.V. designs, finances, builds, and operates above-municipal wastewater treatment plants and sewer infrastructure for the Flemish Region and Flemish municipalities. The company manages 325 wastewater treatment installations (RWZIs) and 7,085 km of pipelines, purifying household wastewater from approximately 88% of Flemish residents to Flemish and European quality standards. It also delivers municipal sewer management services, industrial wastewater treatment through its Aquaplus subsidiary, and resource/energy recovery (biogas, heat via riothermie, sludge-to-pellets).
Product overview
Aquafin N.V. is a Flemish public utility company responsible for wastewater treatment and sewer infrastructure management in Flanders, Belgium. The core offering is municipal wastewater treatment serving 88% of Flanders residents across 325 treatment plants. The company operates through several sub-brands and platforms: Aquaplus handles industrial water treatment services for businesses; Rosi provides a digital platform for municipalities to track sewer inspections; and various digital technologies including Digital Twin and Smart Infrastructure Control systems optimize treatment operations. Additional services include rainwater management, biogas production, heat recovery (riothermie), and quaternary treatment for micropollutant removal. The company partners with drinking water companies (Pidpa, water-link, De Watergroep) for integrated municipal sewer management.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Aquamarkt: Water-related marketplace platform
- Aquaplus
- Rosi
Products and services
- Aquafin Core Wastewater Treatment
Quantifiable outcome
- 99.38% of RWZIs met all applicable norms in 2022 — third-best result in company history
- +5 more outcomes
Companies that use Aquafin N.V.
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Aquafin N.V. technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability5 records
Feature10 records
Aquafin N.V. partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Vlaamse Milieu Maatschappij (VMM)coreVMM is the Flemish Environment Agency that oversees environmental policy, including water quality. Aquafin operates under a 20-year cooperation agreement with the Flemish Region, with VMM acting as the contracting body and supervisor. Together they monitor performance based on critical performance indicators with transparency.
- PidpacorePidpa is a Flemish drinking water company. Aquafin has a structural partnership with Pidpa for municipal sewer management in municipalities where Pidpa delivers drinking water. Aquafin handles infrastructure planning, construction, and management while Pidpa provides local service and citizen contact.
- water-linkcorewater-link is a Flemish drinking water company. Aquafin has a structural partnership with water-link for municipal sewer management. Aquafin handles infrastructure planning, construction, and management while water-link provides local service and citizen contact.
- De Watergroep (Riopact)coreDe Watergroep is a Flemish drinking water company. Aquafin has a structural partnership via Riopact for municipal sewer management. Aquafin handles infrastructure planning, construction, and management while De Watergroep provides local service and citizen contact.
- FarysminorFarys is a Flemish multi-utility company. Aquafin cooperates with Farys in Aalst and Dendermonde for municipal sewer management services.
- Vlaamse Vereniging van Steden en Gemeenten (VSG)minorVSG is the Flemish association of cities and municipalities. Aquafin worked with VSG, AquaFlanders, VMM, Vlario, and municipalities to establish standards and minimum requirements for sewer inspections, helping all municipalities achieve full sewer inventory by end 2022.
- AquaFlandersminorAquaFlanders is the sector association for water management in Flanders. Aquafin worked with AquaFlanders and other stakeholders to set standards for sewer inspections and minimum requirements for the Flemish sewer inspection programme.
- VlariominorVlario is a Flemish knowledge platform for water and sewer management. Aquafin collaborated with Vlario in the multi-stakeholder effort to establish sewer inspection standards and requirements in Flanders.
- ArcelorMittal GentminorA new sludge mono-incineration installation at the ArcelorMittal site in Ghent (operational by 2026) will burn two-thirds of Aquafin's treatment sludge without adding other waste streams, allowing maximum recovery of energy and resources. ArcelorMittal will use the full steam production in its processes, reducing its CO2 emissions by 65,000 tonnes per year.
Scale indicators13 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Aquafin N.V. competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Suez Water Technologies & Solutions: Major global water and wastewater services provider with municipal and industrial offerings. Overlaps with Aquafin in treatment technology and operations, but operates globally on a commercial basis rather than a regional public mandate.
- Veolia Water Technologies & Solutions: Global water-services giant offering municipal and industrial water/wastewater treatment. Comparable on the wastewater-treatment technology and operations side, but vastly larger, commercial, and international versus Aquafin's regional public mandate.
- American Water Works: Largest US investor-owned water and wastewater utility. Overlaps with Aquafin on regulated water/wastewater service delivery, but operates as a listed for-profit across multiple US states rather than as a single-region public utility.
Direct peers
- Pidpa: Flemish drinking water utility that is one of Aquafin's three structural municipal sewer-management partners (alongside water-link and De Watergroep). Highly comparable regional mandate, customer base, and Flemish government-anchored business model.
- water-link: Antwerp-based Flemish drinking water company and structural Aquafin partner for municipal sewer management. Closely comparable in scale, geography, and the dual water/sewer public-utility mandate in Flanders.
- De Watergroep (Riopact): Largest Flemish drinking water utility, partnered with Aquafin via the Riopact vehicle for municipal sewer services. Direct comparable in scope, Flemish regional focus, and public-utility governance model.
- Farys: Flemish multi-utility (water, sewer, energy) cooperating with Aquafin in Aalst and Dendermonde. Comparable as a publicly-oriented regional water/sewer operator, though broader in scope.
Regional players
- Severn Trent: Large UK regulated water and wastewater utility. Comparable in being a publicly-accountable regional wastewater monopoly, though operates under a different regulatory regime and is investor-owned.
- United Utilities: UK-regulated water and wastewater company serving the North West of England. Similar regional monopoly structure and regulated utility economics, but geographically distinct and investor-owned.
- Sabesp: São Paulo state water and sewage utility. Comparable as a state-anchored regional wastewater provider serving tens of millions of residents, though operating in a very different regulatory and emerging-market context.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Aquafin N.V. social profiles
Digital presenceAquafin N.V. compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
Aquafin N.V. financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Aquafin N.V. leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles16 records
Aquafin N.V. subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Aquafin N.V. funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Aquafin N.V. M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Aquafin N.V.
What does Aquafin N.V. do?
Aquafin N.V. designs, finances, builds, and operates above-municipal wastewater treatment plants and sewer infrastructure for the Flemish Region and Flemish municipalities. The company manages 325 wastewater treatment installations (RWZIs) and 7,085 km of pipelines, purifying household wastewater from approximately 88% of Flemish residents to Flemish and European quality standards. It also delivers municipal sewer management services, industrial wastewater treatment through its Aquaplus subsidiary, and resource/energy recovery (biogas, heat via riothermie, sludge-to-pellets).
Is Aquafin N.V. a public or private company?
Aquafin N.V. is a private company. It is classified as state government owned and is currently operating.
When was Aquafin N.V. founded?
Aquafin N.V. was founded in 1990. It employs 1,001 to 5,000 people.
Where is Aquafin N.V. based?
Aquafin N.V. is headquartered in Aartselaar, Belgium, in the Europe region.
How does Aquafin N.V. make money?
One revenue line is on record: government financing from Flemish Region.
Who are Aquafin N.V.'s main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Suez Water Technologies & Solutions, Veolia Water Technologies & Solutions and American Water Works. Direct peers are Pidpa, water-link, De Watergroep (Riopact) and Farys. Regional players are Severn Trent, United Utilities and Sabesp.
Does Aquafin N.V. have an API?
No public API is recorded for Aquafin N.V..
What industry is Aquafin N.V. in?
Aquafin N.V.'s product category is Water Utility Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAIACAG, Water Supply & Wastewater Utilities Administration, with a secondary code of BPALAMAA, Municipal Wastewater Collection (Sewer Networks). Its NAICS code is 22132 and its SIC code is 4950.