RWEGermany’s secret role in America’s Water Economy

RWE: the company

Company History: RWE was originally founded in Essen Germany in 1898

Since 1900, RWE has been one of the leading world suppliers of electric energy and public utilities

Currently, RWE is an electric power and natural gas public utility headed by German CEO Jürgen Grossmann (Wikipedia)

RWE: The European Powerhouse

“Europe is our market: RWE is the No. 1 power producer in Germany, No. 3 in the Netherlands, and No. 3 in the UK. We continuously expand our position in Central Eastern and South Eastern Europe.”

-RWE AG-

RWE: As an International Energy Provider

RWE has a multitude of subsidiaries:

RWE Power AG RWE Energy RWE Deutschland AG

RWE npower RWE Dea RWE Supply and Trading

RWE IT RWE Innogy (Wikipedia)

RWE is arguably one of the dominate resource and energy privatizers in Europe

But their involvement as a utilities provider is even more significant…

RWE: As an International Utilities Provider

In 2001 Thames Water was acquired by multi-utility, RWE. Thames Water became RWE's Water Division, taking control of its water and wastewater operations worldwide, and RWE's existing water operations in Germany and Eastern Europe.

In September 2001 RWE / Thames Water announced the agreement to acquire American Water Works, the USA's largest privately owned water company. (Thames Water Group)

RWE: The Water Control Ring Leader

On January 10, 2003, RWE, a German utility conglomerate, purchased American Water Works, which serves 15 million people in 27 states and three Canadian provinces and is the largest publicly-traded water company in the United States. (Hobbs)

RWE: Too Big For Comfort?RWE is obviously a successful enterprise, however, different interest groups hold different views concerning the harm and benefit in RWE’s enterprise in public resources.

For Government and Investors- RWE represents an economic advantage, both privately and publically

Markets a highly sustainable investment opportunity

However, many small economy advocates argue that RWE has seeded far too much control of America’s public utility infrastructure, and has managed to gain almost unopposed control of water utilities.

Has been given too much support with not enough of a motivation to respond with effective and efficient results. (SERC)

RWE and the World Bank?

The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans and aid to developing countries, and has high involvement in the international regulation and international policies.

Their role in international water privatization is significant, and highly criticized by conservationists and environmentalists around the world.

The World Bank consistently sides with the efforts of major water corporations such as Suez and Vivendi.

RWE and the World Bank?

RWE and many of their subsidiaries are regularly assigned to large global energy projects by the World Bank.

Examples:Pipelines

Dam building

Wastewater services (Makanaka)

RWE: the anonymous world water supplier

I found it quite difficult to find any information on RWE as a “water supplier”. RWE’s own website only speaks of their involvement in “energy” and seems to leave out the fact that they are the parent company of Thames, the most traded water company in the US.

It seems that RWE is intentionally distancing itself from water involvement for the sake of appearing almost artificially devoted entirely to providing clean and alternative energy in Europe.

RWE: the anonymous world water supplier

Because of RWE’s broad variety of public utility niches, the actual company is able to “hide” behind the names of several different companies that you are only likely to know the names of if you invest in them.

The great hoax here, is that RWE supplies, maintains, inspects, treats and privatizes water in America, but remains invisible to the public.

The reality is our state regularly pays companies like RWE to clean and treat our water, as do several other states.

RWE: The Final Take

You may pay taxes to have clean water, but you can’t believe that your local congressman is going to be the one doing it.

RWE is a water company that seems not to exist because it supplies utilities, instead of products like other major “water” privatizers such as Suez and Vivendi

The Truth: the German energy “group” RWE, uses its industrial superiority to dominate the privatization of water utilities in America.

How do you play a role?

Make a point to know just who you are actually paying to clean your water.

Know who runs what, and how much responsibility they have, versus the corporations that own them.

You don’t have to by bottled water to support water privatization; make a point to know the international integrity of the companies you indirectly depend upon for water on a regular basis.

CitationsState Environmental Resource Center (2004, September 25). Water Privatization Policy Issues Package. SERC. Retrieved January 10, 2012, from http://www.serconline.org/waterPrivatization/fact.html

Hobbs, Erika. “Low Rates, Needed Repairs Lure ‘Big Water’ to Uncle Sam’s Plumbing.” The Center for Public Integrity. 12 February 2003. Retrieved January 10, 2012 from <http://www.icij.org/water/report.aspx?sid=ch&rid=54&aid=54>.

Mankanaka. (May 31, 2010). The Race to Own India’s Water. Wordpress.com. Retrieved January 10, 2012 from, http://makanaka.wordpress.com/tag/rwethames-water/

Thames Water Group. (June 14, 2011). ‘2001-2006’- Joining the RWE Group. Retrieved January 10, 2012, from http://www.thameswater.co.uk/cps/rde/xchg/corp/hs.xsl/850_2615.htm

Wikipedia. (December 24, 2011). RWE. Author. Retrieved January 10, 2012, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RWE

RWE AG. (n. d.) RWE – An Attractive Investment. RWE Group. Retrieved January 10, 2012, from http://www.rwe.com/web/cms/en/105818/rwe/investor-relations/