Vimágua
Vimágua is a publicly owned municipal water and wastewater utility providing water capture, treatment, and distribution plus sanitation services to the residents and businesses of Guimarães and Vizela in northern Portugal under a statutory two-municipality concession.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2002
- HeadquartersGuimarães, Portugal
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Vimágua does
Vimágua – Empresa de Água e Saneamento de Guimarães e Vizela, EIM, S.A. is a publicly owned municipal water and wastewater utility incorporated on February 19, 2002, by the municipalities of Guimarães and Vizela in northern Portugal. Operating as an Empresa de Interesse Municipal (EIM, S.A.) under Portuguese municipal enterprise law, the company holds statutory exclusive rights to provide water capture, treatment, and distribution, as well as wastewater drainage and treatment, across both municipalities — a combined service territory of roughly 180,000 inhabitants in the Norte-Ave region.
The core technology is physical utility infrastructure: water treatment plants (ETA), wastewater treatment plants (ETAR), 15 pumping stations, storage reservoirs, and distribution networks, with recent capital additions of 28.20 km of new wastewater drainage (POSEUR-03-2012-FC-001473, completed February 2023) and water loss control upgrades (POSEUR-03-2012-FC-001258, completed September 2021). Customer-facing services run on standard off-the-shelf platforms: the Balcão Digital self-service portal is hosted on uCloud CGI, appointment scheduling on Microsoft Outlook 365, and the whistleblowing channel on roboyo.pt. There is no proprietary technology, no API exposure, and no AI/ML capability disclosed.
Vimágua generates revenue through recurring monthly water supply charges and wastewater/sanitation charges levied on connected customers under a published tariff schedule (Tarifário em vigor) with supplementary 'Tarifários especiais' (special tariffs) for qualifying users. The go-to-market is direct-to-consumer and direct-to-business within a closed, regulated municipal concession — there is no pricing competition and no outside sales motion. With approximately 50 employees and no disclosed revenue, the company is a small-scale, stable municipal operator whose recent strategic focus has been on infrastructure renewal, digital customer service modernization, and regulatory quality compliance under Decreto-Lei n.º 69/2023.
Vimágua firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Vimágua
- Legal name
- Vimágua – Empresa de Água e Saneamento de Guimarães e Vizela, EIM, S.A.
- Website
- https://vimagua.pt
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2002
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Vimágua is a publicly owned municipal water and wastewater utility providing water capture, treatment, and distribution plus sanitation services to the residents and businesses of Guimarães and Vizela in northern Portugal under a statutory two-municipality concession.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Vimágua industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Municipal Water and Wastewater Utility Services
- NAICS
- Water Supply and Irrigation Systems (221310), Sewage Treatment Facilities (221320), Water, Sewage and Other Systems (2213)
- SIC
- Water Supply (4941), Sanitary Services (4950)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Regulatory Compliance Monitoring & Reporting (SDWA/CWA/NPDES, permits, audits) (EUANAJAA)
Keywords
Where Vimágua is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Guimarães
- HQ country
- Portugal
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Vimágua business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Infrastructure, Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- Water Supply Charges: Revenue is generated through water supply service charges levied on residential and commercial customers in Guimarães and Vizela, based on volume consumed and applicable tariff tiers.
- Sanitation and Wastewater Charges: Revenue from wastewater drainage and treatment services provided to connected customers in the municipalities, structured as recurring service charges.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | Standard water supply and sanitation tariff |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels4 records
Vimágua product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Vimágua provides integrated water and wastewater services to the municipalities of Guimarães and Vizela in northern Portugal. Its core offering encompasses potable water capture, treatment, and distribution; wastewater collection, drainage, and treatment; quarterly water quality compliance reporting; and customer-facing services including a Balcão Digital self-service portal, electronic invoicing, meter reading submissions, and installment payment plans. The utility also publishes tariff schedules and special tariff programmes for residential and commercial customers.
Product overview
Vimágua is a public utility company (Empresa de Água e Saneamento de Guimarães e Vizela, EIM, S.A.) providing water supply and sanitation services to the municipalities of Guimarães and Vizela in Portugal. The company operates integrated water and wastewater systems encompassing capture, treatment, and distribution infrastructure. Customer-facing digital services include the Balcão Digital self-service portal for contract management, meter readings, and billing; electronic invoicing; appointment scheduling via Outlook 365; and a whistleblowing channel (Canal de Denúncias) powered by roboyo.pt. The company publishes quarterly water quality compliance reports and maintains tariff structures including standard and special rates. Vimágua is not a technology/software product company but a traditional water utility with digital service enhancements.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Sistema de Abastecimento de Água (Water Supply System) Potable water capture, treatment, and distribution service providing drinking water to residential and commercial customers across the municipalities of Guimarães and Vizela. Includes maintenance of water treatment plants (ETA), storage reservoirs, pumping stations, and distribution networks.
- Sistema de Drenagem e Saneamento (Drainage and Sanitation System) Wastewater collection, drainage, and treatment service for residential and commercial customers in Guimarães and Vizela, including operation of wastewater treatment plants (ETAR), sewerage network, and pumping stations. The POSEUR project added 28.20 km of new drainage systems and 15 pumping stations.
- Balcão Digital (Digital Counter) Online self-service portal enabling customers to manage their Vimágua contracts, communicate meter readings, view bills, and submit service requests. Hosted on the uCloud CGI platform and accessible via the company website.
- Fatura Eletrónica (Electronic Invoicing) Billing service enabling customers to opt into digital delivery and management of their water and sanitation invoices, reducing paper correspondence and providing electronic bill access.
- Marcação de Atendimento (Appointment Scheduling) Appointment scheduling service that allows customers to book in-person counter service visits at Vimágua's Guimarães and Vizela locations, replacing walk-in service with scheduled appointments.
- Pagamento em Prestações (Installment Payment Plan) Installment payment option that allows qualifying customers to pay their water and sanitation bills in installments rather than as a single lump sum.
- Comunicação de Leituras (Meter Reading Communication) Service enabling customers to submit water meter readings online via the website, with options to schedule meter readings, ensuring accurate consumption-based billing.
- Relatórios da Qualidade da Água (Water Quality Reports) Quarterly public reports documenting water quality analytical results demonstrating compliance with parametric values defined in Decreto-Lei n.º 69/2023, published on the Vimágua website from 2006 onward.
- Tarifário (Tariff System) Pricing structure encompassing the Tarifário em vigor (standard tariffs in force) and Tarifários especiais (special tariff programmes), applicable to residential and commercial customers based on consumption volume and customer type.
- Canal de Denúncias (Whistleblowing Channel) Whistleblowing and ethics reporting channel allowing internal and external stakeholders to anonymously submit complaints or report ethics violations, supported by the roboyo.pt platform and accessible via [email protected].
Quantifiable outcome
- Water quality compliant with Decreto-Lei n.º 69/2023 for all quarters of 2025 and Q1 2026 in both Guimarães and Vizela.
Companies that use Vimágua
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Vimágua technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
Vimágua partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- TRIAVE – Centro de Arbitragem de Conflitos de Consumo do Vale do AveminorTRIAVE is the designated alternative dispute resolution (RAL) entity for consumer disputes in the Vimágua service area, covering the municipalities of Guimarães, Vizela, and 12 surrounding municipalities in the Vale do Ave region. Located at Rua Capitão Alfredo Guimarães, 1, 4800-019 Guimarães.
Scale indicators9 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Vimágua competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- SMAS de Sintra: Municipal water and sanitation utility for the municipality of Sintra. Closely mirrors Vimágua's municipal-enterprise operating model, customer base (residential + commercial), and regulatory environment, with similar digital self-service ambitions.
- EPAL – Empresa Portuguesa das Águas Livres: State-owned Portuguese water utility serving the Lisbon metropolitan area with potable water supply, treatment, and distribution. Operates under the same Portuguese regulatory framework (ERSAR) and Decreto-Lei 69/2023 quality regime as Vimágua, making it the closest direct structural peer despite its much larger scale.
- SMAS de Lisboa: Municipal water and sanitation services for Lisbon under the Serviços Municipalizados model, equivalent in legal structure (publicly owned municipal utility) and regulatory exposure to Vimágua's EIM S.A. Compares closely on customer-segment mix, tariff regime, and quality-of-service obligations.
Regional players
- Águas do Norte: Multi-municipal bulk water and wastewater concessionaire covering the northern Portuguese region that includes Guimarães and Vizela. Operates the same POSEUR/Portugal 2020 grant framework as Vimágua and directly interfaces with municipal utilities for wastewater treatment, making it both a supplier and the most relevant regional comparator.
- Águas do Centro Litoral: Bulk water and wastewater concessionaire for central-coastal Portugal, operating under the same AdP group framework and ERSAR regulation. Comparable on multi-municipal scale, EU-funded capex programmes, and quality-of-service KPIs, though serving a different geographic region than Vimágua.
Emerging players
- SIMARSUL – Sistema Integrado de Saneamento da Margem Sul do Tejo: Multi-municipal wastewater treatment and disposal concessionaire for the south Lisbon margin, operating ETAR infrastructure comparable to Vimágua's sanitation network. Comparable on the wastewater treatment and POSEUR-financed capex dimensions, though narrower in scope (no water supply).
Others
- ERSAR – Entidade Reguladora dos Serviços de Águas e Resíduos: Portuguese national regulator for water and waste services. Sets the tariff and quality standards that govern Vimágua's operations, awards the Selo da Qualidade Exemplar seal, and publishes the benchmarks used to evaluate Vimágua's performance against peer utilities.
Broad incumbents
- Águas de Portugal (AdP SGPS): Holding company for the Portuguese state-owned water and wastewater concessions (Águas do Norte, Águas do Centro, SIMARSUL, etc.). Provides multi-municipal bulk water supply and sanitation services under the same ERSAR regime, representing the dominant incumbent against which smaller EIM utilities like Vimágua are benchmarked.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks4 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Vimágua social profiles
Digital presenceVimágua financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Vimágua leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Vimágua funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Vimágua 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 Vimágua
What does Vimágua do?
Vimágua provides integrated water and wastewater services to the municipalities of Guimarães and Vizela in northern Portugal. Its core offering encompasses potable water capture, treatment, and distribution; wastewater collection, drainage, and treatment; quarterly water quality compliance reporting; and customer-facing services including a Balcão Digital self-service portal, electronic invoicing, meter reading submissions, and installment payment plans. The utility also publishes tariff schedules and special tariff programmes for residential and commercial customers.
Is Vimágua a public or private company?
Vimágua is a private company. It is classified as state government owned and is currently operating.
When was Vimágua founded?
Vimágua was founded in 2002. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Vimágua based?
Vimágua is headquartered in Guimarães, Portugal, in the Europe region.
How does Vimágua make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Water Supply Charges are the primary driver. The others are sanitation and Wastewater Charges.
Who are Vimágua's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are SMAS de Sintra, EPAL – Empresa Portuguesa das Águas Livres and SMAS de Lisboa. Regional players are Águas do Norte and Águas do Centro Litoral. SIMARSUL – Sistema Integrado de Saneamento da Margem Sul do Tejo is listed as an emerging player. ERSAR – Entidade Reguladora dos Serviços de Águas e Resíduos is listed as an others. Águas de Portugal (AdP SGPS) is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Vimágua have an API?
No public API is recorded for Vimágua.
What industry is Vimágua in?
Vimágua's product category is Municipal Water and Wastewater Utility Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EUANAJAA, Regulatory Compliance Monitoring & Reporting (SDWA/CWA/NPDES, permits, audits). Its NAICS code is 221310 and its SIC code is 4941.