CMS advises Suez on acquisition of a hazardous waste treatment facility from Dow

Leipzig – French group Suez is expanding its strategic partnership with US firm The Dow Chemical Company (“Dow”) by acquiring a hazardous waste treatment facility in Schkopau near Leipzig. The purchase price was not disclosed. The transaction is currently awaiting approval from Germany’s Federal Cartel Office.

A CMS team headed by Dr Jochen Lux and Dr Jörg Lips advised Suez on all legal aspects of the transaction.

Located in Dow’s ValuePark, the facility includes a rotary kiln for treatment of hazardous waste and an industrial sludge dryer. It handles both solid and liquid waste. This acquisition by Suez is aimed at reinforcing its position in the German waste disposal market. SUEZ will supply Dow and other companies in the ValuePark with up to 120,000 tonnes of steam per year. The chlorine produced during incineration will be reused in the form of hydrochloric acid for industrial purposes. The kiln currently has a capacity of 35,000 tonnes per year, which can be increased.

Suez is a leading provider of environmentally acceptable disposal of waste and wastewater as well as of water supply services. The company operates on all five continents. It supplies drinking water to 92 million people, delivers wastewater treatment services to 65 million, recovers 16 million tonnes of waste each year and produces 7 TWh of renewable energy. With its more than 82,000 employees, Suez generated total revenues of EUR 15.1 billion in 2015.

ValuePark is the industrial park concept of Dow Olefinverbund GmbH, a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Dow Chemical Company. The idea of the concept is to have strategic customers, suppliers and service providers to invest in the Dow ValuePark with the objective of creating mutual synergy effects in order to improve competitiveness of all companies. Since it opened in 1998, 21 German and international firms have invested more than EUR 500 million in the ValuePark.

CMS Hasche Sigle

Dr Jörg Lips, Lead Partner
Dr Jochen Lux, Counsel
Dr Juliane Voigtmann, Senior Associate
Dr Christoph Löffler, Associate
Peter Ollesch, Associate, all Corporate/M&A
Dr Tobias Bock, Senior Associate, Commercial/Energy Contracts
Dr Ursula Steinkemper, Partner, Environmental
Gerd Schmidt, Partner, Real Estate & Public
Jesko Nobiling, Partner
Dr Stephan Hoyer, Senior Associate, both Tax

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