EBI News for January 30, 2025 – Verdantas expands water services in California and Northwest
EBI News for January 30, 2025 – The following news section contains the latest stories for the environmental industry. Including, Verdantas expands water services in California and Northwest, acquisitions, and more!
Verdantas expands water services in California and Northwest
Verdantas (Tampa, Fla.) announced the acquisition of M-H-M Inc. (Marysville, Calif.), enhancing Verdantas’ expertise in the Northern California water market and expanding the services offered by both firms. The integration of MHM into Verdantas brings skills in water supply and storage, distribution, irrigation, water master planning, flood control, and storm drainage, as well as land development and surveying. Also in January, Verdantas acquired Civil West Engineering Services Inc. (Coos Bay, Ore.), expanding its water supply, wastewater, and stormwater services in the Northwest. Verdantas is backed by Sterling Investment Partners.
Hong Kong selects AECOM to study Wetland Conservation Park
AECOM (Dallas) has been selected by the Hong Kong government to deliver the Investigation Study for Sam Po Shue Wetland Conservation Park (SPS WCP). Spanning 348 hectares, this the first such park established under the WCP system proposed in Hong Kong’s Northern Metropolis Development Strategy of 2021. AECOM will provide preliminary design, engineering infrastructure works, wetland enhancement, landscaping, environmental sustainability integration, digital monitoring, and park management. The SPS WCP aims to provide outdoor eco-education and recreational facilities and to introduce sustainable aquaculture. The phased development will begin with the conservation of fishponds and include diverse wetland habitats essential for migratory water birds, including globally threatened species.
NewFields Environmental Division joins ERM
ERM (London, UK) is acquiring the Environmental Division of NewFields Companies (Atlanta, Ga.), an environmental, engineering, and construction management consulting firm. The Division is comprised of approximately 110 experts in strategic consultancy, site investigation, and remediation practices who bring experience in environmental forensics and emerging contaminants, human health impact and risk assessment, data analytics, sediment management, marine sciences, and hydrogeology and groundwater modeling. The acquisition will expand ERM’s offerings in remediation and environmental services across North America and globally. The remainder of NewFields’ businesses will continue to operate independently.
B&V to develop guidance for PFAS pilot testing
Black & Veatch (Overland Park, Kansas) has been selected by the American Water Works Assn. to develop nationwide guidance for pilot testing treatment for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). The PFAS Piloting Guidance Manual will include minimum requirements and best practices for water utilities, regulators and engineers to accelerate PFAS water treatment projects. Utilities must comply with the U.S. EPA’s drinking water standard for PFAS by April 26, 2029, but design, bidding and construction timelines for PFAS treatment projects often require more than three years. By creating industry consensus, the Manual will expedite the process for novel and established treatment technologies and help utilities to meet compliance deadlines.
SGS to acquire RTI Laboratories
SGS (Geneva, Switzerland) has signed an agreement to acquire RTI Laboratories (Detroit, Mich.), a provider of environmental and materials testing services. This bolt-on acquisition adds 30 employees and expands SGS’s footprint in North America. “The acquisition of RTI is a key step in executing Strategy 27. It strengthens SGS’s position as a leader in PFAS analysis, becoming our eighth PFAS and fifth Department of Defense-certified laboratory while expanding capacity and support for clients in the Midwest,” said Marcus Maguire, head of environment, health and safety at SGS North America. SGS is a global testing, inspection and certification company with over 2,700 laboratories and facilities across 119 countries.
Socotec strengthens environmental services in U.S.
The Socotec Group, a global player in testing, inspection and certification (Paris, France) has strengthened its position in the United States by acquiring Ninyo & Moore (San Diego, Calif.), a $120-million testing and inspection firm that specializes in geotechnical engineering, environmental services, materials testing, inspection services, industrial hygiene and occupational safety. The acquisition doubles Socotec USA’s size, expanding its presence in California, Nevada, Arizona, Colorado, Texas and Utah and adding 16 offices and 600 employees. Socotec now has a U.S. workforce of over 1,300 professionals.
Spheros acquires EcoAnalysts
Private equity backed Spheros Environmental (Denver, Colo.) announced the acquisition of EcoAnalysts Inc. (Moscow, Idaho), an environmental consulting firm specializing in aquatic ecology and habitat assessment. EcoAnalysts is the latest addition to Spheros Environmental’s growing portfolio following air quality services company Sonoma Technology, LRE Water, HydroGeoLogica, and Timberline Aquatics. Founded in 1995, EcoAnalysts provides biological monitoring, ecological impact analysis, ecological risk assessment, ecotoxicity and taxonomic identification services. EcoAnalysts will operate as a part of Spheros Environmental, maintaining its offices in Moscow, Port Gamble, Wash., and Alachua, Fla. while collaborating across the broader organization
Stantec to serve as prime consultant to DC Water
Stantec (Edmonton, Canada) has been selected as program manager for DC Water’s Process Facilities Program (PFP), a major part of DC Water’s $9.6 billion 10-year capital improvement program. Stantec as the prime consultant will collaborate with a team of national and local subconsultants to deliver multiple large-scale capital improvement projects within the Blue Plains Advanced Wastewater Treatment Plant—one the largest of its kind in the world. The PFP includes wastewater treatment facility upgrades and upgrades to upstream stormwater and wastewater pump stations.
ICF acquires Applied Energy from Ameresco
ICF (Reston, Va.) has acquired Applied Energy Group (AEG), an energy technology and advisory services company, from Ameresco (Framingham, Mass.). AEG has more than 100 utility management and demand-side energy experts who provide technology and advisory services to electric and gas utilities, state and local governments, and state energy offices. ICF will benefit from AEG’s energy technology platform that centralizes management of demand-side management programs, including energy efficiency, demand response and load management. AEG is projected to generate approximately $30 million in annual revenue in 2024 with growth in the mid-teens expected in 2025.
RES expands in Chile with major solar project
Global renewable energy company RES (Kings Langley, UK) announced a landmark contract to provide operations and maintenance (O&M) services for Campos del Sol, a 400-MW photovoltaic plant in Chile’s Atacama Desert. This major project brings RES’ managed solar capacity in the country to 2.4 GW. RES already has O&M contracts for four solar plants in the Antofagasta Region. An agreement with global energy producer Enel (Rome, Italy) for Campos del Sol strengthens RES’ growing presence in Chile, where ENEL is a large energy provider. Wood Mackenzie recently ranked RES as the second-largest global solar O&M operator.
EA awarded funding to validate CEC treatment options
EA (Hunt Valley, Md.) has been awarded $199,000 in funding from The Water Research Foundation for a research project entitled, Validation of an Integrated Framework of Wastewater and Stormwater Treatment Options of Constituents of Emerging Concern (CECs). Total research investment, including cost share and in-kind contributions, totals more than $295,000. The two-year study “will help enhance our understanding of CECs that might impact drinking water quality and outline localized treatment strategies available for implementation by utilities,” said Jeff Boltz, EA senior vice president and chief scientist.
Cloverdale collaborates with Celanese on sustainable paint
Cloverdale Paint and Celanese Corporation have formed a partnership to leverage Celanese’s carbon capture and utilization (CCU) technology in pursuit of sustainable paint solutions. Celanese has commercialized an approach for converting waste emissions into renewable feedstocks through CCU. The technology applies hydrogen to chemically convert captured industrial CO2 emissions into a methanol building block that makes up part of vinyl acetate-based emulsions used in paint manufacture. The collaboration is expected to utilize more than 1 million pounds of CO2 emissions per year in products manufactured by Cloverdale Paint.
Fishbeck welcomes Align CEC
Fishbeck (Grand Rapids, Mich.) announced the acquisition of Align CEC, Inc., a civil engineering firm with roots in Terre Haute, Ind. and additional offices in Indianapolis and Greencastle. Established in 1956, Fishbeck is an employee-owned firm with more than 700 staff and 19 offices in three states. Fishbeck offers consulting services in engineering, environmental sciences, architecture, and construction management and an integrated project approach.
ECI merges with ArborMetrics
ECI Environmental Consultants Inc. (Wake Forest, N.C.) and ArborMetrics (Hendersonville, N.C.) have merged to form a new company in the vegetation management industry. Founded in 1972, ECI is a national provider of vegetation and asset management consulting and field services to the electric and gas utility industry. ArborMetrics, established in 2006, provides workforce solutions for vegetation management programs for utilities, municipalities, and other agencies in North America and Canada; its proprietary Arborline software supports utility customers’ electronic work planning, pest management plans, GIS data collection and tree inventories, and quality assurance audits. The merged company will operate as ArborMetrics under a refreshed brand.
Highwood launches methane emissions platform
Highwood Emissions Management (Houston) has launched Emissions Intelligence Platform (EIP) software that streamlines methane emissions accounting and reporting for the oil and gas industry. “EIP closes the gap between measurement and action,” said Thomas Fox, president of Highwood. “It uses empirical data to not only achieve – but to prove – strong performance, maintaining investor confidence and methane accounting compliance in a world of conflicting emissions narratives.” Developed collaboratively with a steering committee of international oil and gas companies, EIP builds auditable, framework-compliant methane inventories that comply with global methane initiatives and regulations.
Top 10 solar PV module manufacturers resilient in H1 2024
Despite unprecedented price declines across solar modules and the silicon supply chain, the top 10 solar PV manufacturers achieved an average utilization rate of 66%, with most surpassing 70%, according to a recent report by Wood Mackenzie. The top three ranked firms in the first half of 2024 were Jinko Solar, LONGi Green Energy and JA Solar of China. Non-Chinese manufacturers entering the top 10 were India’s Adani Solar, ranked sixth, with Singapore’s EliTe Solar and Japan’s Vsun Solar ranked joint ninth. Canadian Solar, with manufacturing in China, ranked fifth. The sector is facing overcapacity caused by rapid expansion, and dramatic declines in module prices from $0.24 per watt to $0.08 per watt, raising concerns about the sustainability of some manufacturers, Wood Mackenzie noted.
Record year for Chinese overseas power projects
Chinese companies installed a record 24 gigawatts (GW) of capacity in Belt & Road (B&R) countries in 2024, according to a new report from Wood Mackenzie. This was double the capacity installed in 2023 and the highest level of investment since the initiative was launched in 2013. In 2024, 52% of projects employed renewable technology, including 8-GW of solar power and 5 GW of hydroelectric power; solar energy made up two-thirds of the new renewable capacity added. By contrast, 48% of projects were in thermal power, including 6 GW of legacy coal plants and 6 GW of gas and oil plants. Wood Mackenzie reported that Chinese companies have installed 156-GW of power projects in participating countries since the launch of the B&R Initiative, completing 369 overseas power projects representing an investment of approximately $281 billion.
GFL Environmental to sell environmental services business
Waste management company GFL Environmental Inc. (Vaughan, Canada) has entered into a definitive agreement with the Apollo Funds and BC Partners for the sale of its Environmental Services business for an enterprise value of C$8 billion. GFL will retain a $1.7-billion equity interest in the business and expects cash proceeds from the transaction of approximately $6.2 billion net of the retained equity and taxes. GFL intends to use up to $3.75 billion of the net proceeds to repay debt, making available up to $2.25 billion for the repurchase of GFL shares and general corporate purposes.
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