Press releases

Egis and R20 have joined forces to create a pre-investment fund specializing in sustainable waste management and the development of Waste-to-Energy projects. This partnership will prepare the different upstream actors (national and local governments, industry and investors) to take the decisions necessary for the development of concrete projects, allowing the market of sustainable waste management to reach maturity. For this purpose, the pre-investment fund will finance two concrete actions in developing and emerging countries:

• A campaign of feasibility studies in cities deemed mature, to identify, develop and structure projects likely to acheive the development objectives of local authorities and to be attractive to investors. These projects will be identified in close collaboration with industry and public and private investors.

• A training program for national and local decision-makers in waste management. The program will focus on three areas that are critical to the decision-making process:
  - the public policies needed for waste management
  - existing waste management technologies in the market today
  - the economic models and financial mechanisms necessary for the long-term success of sustainable waste management projects.

In light of their experience with several waste projects (Algeria, Maldives, Morocco, China), R20 and Egis intend to create an enabling environment that allows for the successful implementation of projects, such as waste sorting, recycling, and energy co-generation, thereby responding to serious environmental concerns.

R20 and Egis not only share the same vision and objective, but also the same values regarding the economic opportunities of waste management, including social benefits, the active participation of local communities in waste sorting and the creation of direct and indirect jobs.

This overall approach to sustainable development is part of the long-term commitment of Egis and its majority shareholder, CDC, for transitioning to a green economy.

The signing took place in the presence of Michèle Sabban, R20 President; Terry Tamminen, Strategic Advisor to the R20 Founding Chair, and CEO of the Leonardo Di Caprio Foundation; Christophe Nuttall, R20 Executive Director, Nicolas Jachiet, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Egis, Rémi Cunin, Executive Vice President of Egis; Rik Joosten, Director General of Egis Projects and Françoise Tauzinat of the Caisse des Dépôts Group. Was also present Catherine Jatteau, Deputy Director General of Egis Structures & Environment.

The structure is a metallic bridge with a through-arch supporting a curved suspended deck measuring 163 metres between abutment centres. While the blueprint adopted for the arch was a specific architectural intention, its shape is also a technical response to the exertions to which it is subjected.

“The innovation in the bridge essentially lies in finding the perfect geometry from a perspective of balancing thrusts,” explains Jean-Bernard Nappi, an architect at Egis, in charge of the architectural design of the structure.

Due to the urban restrictions on both banks, the route curves considerably as it passes over the Vauban docks. The placement of the arch, the width of the deck and the pattern of suspension cables offer sufficient gauge to allow the tramway and pavements to be created. They also result in a perfect balance of arch and deck thrusts.

Integrated design

“The structure is the result of highly integrated design between the architect and the engineers,” adds Claude Le Quéré, Bridge Engineer at Egis, responsible for designing the Citadelle Bridge. “All our work around designing the shape combined technical requirements with the aesthetic vision, with a desire for simplicity and the aim of making the bridge elegant, in keeping with the project for the future development of the area.”

The Engineering Structures and Railway teams at Egis pooled their skills to manage all the interfaces with the LRT line: the selection of a compatible alignment, the selection of a track-laying method, consideration of deformability criteria at each end of the bridge, and the integration of railway facilities and equipment.

The Citadelle Bridge is now part of the Strasbourg cityscape and fulfils the ambition of the Eurométropole to build an emblematic bridge, capable of acting as an anchor for the rehabilitation and urban development of part of the Strasbourg port zone.

* The innovation in the bridge essentially lies in finding the perfect geometry from a perspective of balancing thrusts,” explains Jean-Bernard Nappi, an architect at Egis, in charge of the architectural design of the structure.

** The Egis team comprises Jean-Bernard NAPPI, architect, Claude LE QUÉRÉ, Alexandros GIANNOPOULOS, Bridge Engineers, Nabil YAZBECK and Frédéric MENUEL, Bridge specialist at Egis.

The Group opened an office in 1993 and set up a subsidiary in 1996 to capitalise on its success. After initially providing technical assistance and consulting services to government ministries, Egis teams were involved in major projects that related to harmonising Ukrainian legislation and regional development.

After 2008, Egis began to refocus on the Group's core business – engineering – enabling it to secure a number of attractive contracts to oversee and redevelop key road transport corridors and provide technical assistance at local level. For example, Egis oversaw work to upgrade the M06 Kyiv-Chop Highway through 2012, a programme that was jointly funded by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the European Investment Bank (EIB). Egis also stepped up its operations in the Western Ukrainian city of Lviv by securing contracts to modernise urban transportation.

As Arnaud de Rugy, CEO of Egis Ukraina explains, "although the events of 2013 and 2014 severely curtailed this growth, the situation is stable at present and investment is starting to return, notably thanks to a renewed commitment by EU and international institutions to helping Ukraine develop its infrastructure. This support is helping to generate flagship projects that enable Egis to consolidate its position in Ukraine."

Carefully leveraged strengths

The Group enjoys a number of competitive advantages in this country: aside from its expertise, Egis derives strength from its local roots and knowledge as well as from the close ties it has forged with the Ukrainian people. Nicolas Jachiet, Chairman and CEO of Egis explains that, "our main priority is to forge close ties with our clients based on long-term, 'quality-centric' relationships".

Egis' Ukrainian subsidiary currently has 70 high-level employees split between the main office in Kiev (where around 30 people are based) and the cities of Lviv, Dnipropetrovsk, Odessa and Poltava.

The aim is to grow the offering and expand Egis' footprint in the sectors of industry, construction, water and waste management where clients demand a high level of expertise. Nicolas Jachiet goes on to say, "Egis is a key player in the Ukrainian infrastructure sector and we wish to consolidate this position across all of our business lines. Ukraine represents fertile investment territory for our Group". 

Focus on selected flagship projects

• Technical assistance to the Ministry of Infrastructure of Ukraine and the National roads agency (2015- 2018)
  A consortium that includes Egis and two French government-backed agencies – Expertise France and CIVI POL Conseil – has been tasked with upgrading road design standards, introducing the principle of road safety audits into Ukrainian legislation, training teams from both the National roads agency and the Ministry of Infrastructure and organising awareness campaigns. This project rounds out Egis' current road safety engagements in Ukraine. These also include a pilot project to oversee the maintenance of a section of the M06 Highway along which the number of accidents has been significantly reduced.
  
  
• Harmonisation of transport legislation (2016-2018)
  In the wake of the 2014 Association Agreement between the EU and Ukraine, various EU directives need to be transposed into Ukrainian legislation and a consortium comprising Egis and German-based Dornier Consulting has been mandated to assist the Infrastructure Ministry with this process. This project has a two-fold purpose: bringing national legislation into line with EU transport legislation and providing transport strategy implementation assistance with setting priorities and training managerial staff from government ministries.
  
  
• Upgrading the district heating networks of the cities of Lviv (2014-2017) and Lutsk (2016-2018)
  Under this contract with the municipal district heating company LvivTeploEnergo, Egis will set out in detail the work that needs to be carried out, help organise calls for tenders and track work in progress. The contract signed with LutskTeplo involves providing assistance with restructuring this district heating company (setting rates, upgrading infrastructure, etc.).
  
  
• Extension of Dnipropetrovsk metro (2013- 2016)
  Since 1995, the 4km / three-station extension to Dnipropetrovsk metro has been frozen due to funding problems, however the project was relaunched in 2012 thanks to joint financing put up by the EBRD and EIB. Egis is assisting the municipal metro company with procurement activities and contract administration. Construction work is set to begin in the next few weeks.

The project was first presented to the different stakeholders, then a first flight of a multirotor mini-drone fitted with an ADS-B transceiver took place at Toulouse-Francazal airport, with participants visualising the position of the drone on a tablet computer. Teams working at DTI’s premises at a distance of around 10 km were then able to detect the drone during its second flight by means of an experimental ADS-B station. It is the ADS-B transceiver fitted on the mini-drone which enabled DGAC operators to visualise the drone in real time on an air traffic control screen, similarly to aircraft.

Principles and perspectives of the project

The ADS-B transceiver developed by Airborne Concept and Egis is mounted on a drone and it automatically broadcasts messages, with position and identification data, on a radio frequency that is traditionally used in the aeronautics industry. It is obviously a means of monitoring and detecting drones in real time. The technology is interoperable with air traffic control systems and it is potentially an effective solution to ease public fear of an increasing number of drones taking to the sky.

Cooperation between the two companies is a first step to provide a solution which could comply with proposed legislation calling for a compulsory electronic reporting device on all drones. This would contribute to reassure public authorities who are concerned about illegal drone flights over safety critical sites. A few months ago the two companies have registered a patent with the objective to industrialise this proof of concept in the near future.

Under Government of India’s prestigious Smart City Mission, Bhubaneswar, the capital of the State of Odisha, is the First one among 20 cities shortlisted for development in the first round of implementation. With a vision of developing a Livable, Child-friendly, Eco-friendly and TOD based, Economic hub of the region, the city has proposed to implement several Area Based Development (ABD) Projects as part of Smart City Proposal (SCP).

In this regard, to implement the projects, a special purpose company called Bhubaneswar Smart City Limited (BSCL) was formed and the same invited forbids for Program Management Consultancy. Egis in India participated in the competitive bidding process along with other reputed multinational companies and has been awarded the project. The Company is in the process of executing the Contract.

As Program Management Consultant (PgMC) for implementing ABD projects, Egis shall carry out Feasibility, Detailed Design, Engineering and Project Management of implementation of various Sub-Projects, around 23 different projects, across seven urban infrastructure/engineering  sectors.  These services shall be provided by setting up a Project Management Unit at BSCL office by a dedicated Egis Project Team.

The scope covers, Situation Analysis, Feasibility Study, Detailed Design cum DPR, Preparation of Tender Documents, Assistance in Bidders Selection, Project Management & Monitoring of Implementation and Post Implementation, defect Liability period and Handing Over for all 23 projects. Egis’s mission will be to ensure delivering Smart, Sustainable designs, with State of the art Technology & Engineering, Innovations towards successful and timely implementation of the Smart City Proposal.

© monicaodo - Thinkstock

SMAPP, made up of 19 local authorities including the Aquitaine regional council and chaired by the Greater Pau city council, is chiefly responsible for the airport’s development strategy and the supervision of the concession.

Since 1965, the Pau-Béarn Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCI) had been responsible for the management of the airport. Starting on 1 January 2017 and for a 12-year term, the CCI will now be working in association with Egis and Transdev, both subsidiaries of the Caisse des Dépôts and specialists in airport operation.

Pau-Pyrénées Airport, a gateway to the South West of France

Pau-Pyrénées Airport constitutes a major infrastructure facility in the Béarn area of France and plays an essential role in opening up access to and developing the second largest economic hub in the Nouvelle Aquitaine administrative region of France. With more than 635,000 passengers welcomed in 2015, Pau-Pyrénées Airport is the 18th largest airport in France in terms of ridership. Together with Bordeaux and Toulouse airports, it is the only airport in the larger South West part of France to be fitted with an all-weather landing system. Pau-Pyrénées offers six regular destinations.

The Airport is located at the heart of an economic hub which combines civilian activities (industry and services) and military activities (with the establishment of the airborne troop college). The vast majority of the airport’s clientele is made up of business travellers in connection with the large companies in the region (70% of passengers) but a proportion of passengers are tourists.

Egis and Transdev, the strength of an 18-airport network

To achieve this realistic and ambitious project, the concession holder will be able to draw on substantial knowledge of the local economic environment through CCI Pau-Bearn, and benefit from the force of the network of airports operated by Egis and Transdev, teaming up for the first time, together working to enhance and sustain the appeal of the Béarn area:

> Egis is one of the world leaders in consultancy and engineering services, project structuring and the operation of road and airport infrastructure. As a leading partner in the development and operation of airports in France and around the world, the Group is involved in the management and operation of 14 airports worldwide, representing a total of 25 million passengers and 321,000 tonnes of freight every year.Thanks to an integrated approach and its multidisciplinary and complementary skills, Egis contributes valuable know-how to airport management (operational and financial performance, rational organisation, risk management, etc.), operations (deployment of the best international standards, suitable maintenance solutions, technological intelligence) and marketing and development (search for new airlines, new retail and service offerings, etc.).

> A worldwide leader in mobility and a longstanding partner of the airport sector, Transdev contributes to the efficient daily operation of regional and international airports, from multi-modal transportation to overall management. In France, Transdev is an active partner in the management of Beauvais, Lille, Perpignan and Carcassonne airports, with cumulative ridership in the region of 7 million passengers.

> The Air’Py business grouping will roll out an investment programme worth more than €16 million over 12 years, including in particular the creations of a taxiway for the e-fan electric plan, an all-cargo plane parking facility and a Horse Border Inspection Post. These facilities will contribute to the vitality of sectors of excellence in the Béarn.

The investment programme also provides for the refurbishing of the current terminal and the conversion of the former terminal, both designed by Egis. This new offering of retail space, services and entertainment will transform the airport into a unique lively venue, a true showcase for the region and ideally served by the new mobility solutions offered by Transdev.

The efforts of Air’Py will also focus on the improvement of airline services, in particular towards the south east of France and Corsica, as well as on regular lines towards major European cities. The city of Pau and its surrounding region will thus become a destination offered to around ten French and European cities by 2018.

The future Krakow bike scheme will use a new technology developed by the company Social Bicycles where the intelligence for renting and returning a bike is located on the bike rather than at the station. This will improve user experience by reducing the risk of bike stations being either too full or too empty. If the station is full, the user can simply park the bike nearby. To avoid missing a bike, the user can book a bike in advance at a chosen location through a mobile application. All bikes are equipped with a GPS and an accelerometer which allows the Operator to track each bike in real time. Vandalism rates will decrease subsequently.

"The city of Krakow is particularly attractive for the deployment of this technology, since the city suffers significant congestion issues. By eliminating the problem of parking or finding a bike, the scheme presents a healthy alternative or a complement to traditional commuting" says Rik Joosten, Chief Executive Officer of Egis Projects. "As Operator, we will also ensure that tourist user access to the scheme is optimised. Krakow hosts almost 10 000 000 tourists every year."

© BikeU

The Alliance, an innovative scheme

The project will take the form of an Alliance between: Owner / Designer / Contractor working as a "virtual" company. The three partners work together as one team, sharing upside and downside risks, i.e. profits and losses. This concept first originated in Australia where it was used for some public works contracts.

In the case of Birmingham, the Owner is WMCA, the public transport authority. Egis is the lead contractor in the Designer applicant consortium together with Pell Frischmann and Tony Gee as partners. And the Contractor applicant consortium is Colas Rail in association with Barhale, Thomas Vale and Auctus Management Group.

The Midland Metro alliance came into force on the 4th July 2016. It provides a team of unprecedented local and international experience, bringing both the skills and commitment needed to make the expanded tram network a reality.

The scale of the proposed development program, and the commitment to a 10 year period provides the Alliance with a unique opportunity to develop efficient bespoke solutions, build long term relationships with key stakeholders and to play a major role in the enhancement of the communities within which it will be operating.

The total investment for the development of the Birmingham tram network amounts to 1.2 billion pounds sterling.

The first extensions

The first project will be to implement the extension, including a section without overhead lines, from New street station to Centenary Square, one of the emblematic places in Birmingham. The extension is expected to open in 2019.

The second extension to Edgbaston is scheduled to open in 2021.

A third extension which will connect the Bull Street area in Curzon Street Station, will also feature the future high speed line "HS2 ".

An opening into the British market for Egis

This new project won by Egis is just reward for our efforts and the desire of the Egis Group to become a major player in the British market. For Egis, already present in the UK, with project structuring and operations services activities, this is an essential step for the development of its engineering business and we plan new projects in this market during the coming years.

The bridge provides a substantially time-saving alternative to the road route around the Izmit bay and to the ferry service crossing the strait.

The next motorway section to be opened to traffic at the end of 2016 will run from Orhangazi to the outskirts of Bursa.

President Erdogan declared that all 420 kilometres of highway running from Gebze to Izmir would be open to traffic in 2018.

One of the largest projects operated by Egis

The project is operated by the company GIIB (Gebze-Izmir Isletme Ve Bakim), a 50/50 subsidiary between the Egis group and the concession company Otoyol.

In 2018, GIIB will operate infrastructure including 420 km of motorway between Gebze and Izmir, 33 bridges, 3 two-way tunnels, 17 motorway service areas and 187 overpasses. This project features among the largest operated by an Egis group subsidiary and comes as further confirmation of Egis’ status as one of the worldwide leaders in the operation of motorways and toll structures.

Egis is well-established in Turkey. In August 2016, its subsidiary ICE (51% owned by Egis Road Operation) will start operating the third bridge over the Bosporus and the North Marmara motorways in partnership with Ictas (49% shareholder), while subsidiary Egis Tünel Işletmeciliği (100% Egis Road Operation) will commence the operation of the Avrasya tunnel running beneath the Bosporus at the end of December 2016.

© Jean Harito

The new Oumtounsy international airport in Nouakchott, which has been designed and built by Najah for Major Works, is a project of unprecedented scale in the sub-region.

A new gateway to Mauritania, the airport can accommodate wide-body aircraft such as the A380 and the B777 on 2 runways: a CAT II main runway measuring 11,000 ft (3,400 m) long and a CAT I secondary runway measuring 7,800 ft (2,400 m) long.

The airport facility also includes a control tower, a cargo terminal, a technical block, annex buildings designed to optimise airport operations, accommodation for on-call workers, presidential and ministerial pavilions, and a 60,000 sq. ft (18,000 sq. m) passenger terminal with an annual capacity of 2 million passengers, designed and built in compliance with the standards of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) and of the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

During 42 months Egis has provided expertise in the project through the analysis and validation of the shop drawings and through the supervision of the airport construction, planning and equipment works. A focus was particularly put on monitoring the quality and efficiency of works around airport lighting and navigational aids, oil storage, road access, energy supply, security equipment, regional control area, and the buildings and depots of the military area.

The Group has mobilised large teams around many different areas of expertise such as buildings, infrastructure (including pavement, material and geotechnical engineering for roads, and structures), water (including collection, treatment and sanitation), and around airport core facilities such as movement areas, navigational aids, lighting, security, aeronautical equipment and systems, etc.

One of the key challenges of the project consisted in achieving the transfer from the old to the new airport, therefore ensuring operational readiness and successful commissioning. Egis has provided support during this critical phase as well, for example through the production of operational procures, the planning and set-up of tests, or through the airport certification process, and the training of staff who needed to gain knowledge and capabilities for operating the new airport.

The first commercial flight by Turkish Airlines successfully landed at the airport on June 23rd. The airport now services around 15 destinations in North Africa and Europe. A new route to Abidjan – a partner airport of the Egis concession network – is planned to open by the end of 2016.