Mitsubishi Electric and KOBELCO Eco-Solutions Sign Strategic Partnership Agreement for Water and Wastewater Business
Mitsubishi Electric and KOBELCO Eco-Solutions have signed a strategic partnership agreement for the water and wastewater business. To address challenges of aging infrastructure and labor shortages, they will jointly develop process optimization solutions and participate in PPP/PFI projects, aiming for stable operations and LCC reduction.
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- 📰 Published: April 9, 2026 at 22:10
- 🔍 Collected: April 9, 2026 at 13:30
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 20, 2026 at 08:25 (258h 55m after Collected)
Mitsubishi Electric Corporation (Headquarters: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, President: Kei Uruma, hereinafter referred to as Mitsubishi Electric) and KOBELCO Eco-Solutions Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Kobe City, Hyogo Prefecture, President: Hideki Okumura, hereinafter referred to as KOBELCO Eco-Solutions) signed a comprehensive strategic partnership agreement for the water and wastewater business on April 7.
Based on this agreement, they will jointly develop solutions that realize process optimization for water purification plants and sewage treatment plants, and jointly participate in Public-Private Partnership (PPP) / Private Finance Initiative (PFI) (Note 1) projects implemented through public-private collaboration. This will promote stable operations and reduce Life Cycle Cost (LCC) (Note 2) in the operation of water purification and sewage treatment plants.
■ Background and Goals of the Partnership
In recent years, municipalities nationwide managing and operating water and wastewater businesses have faced serious challenges such as financial difficulties due to population decline and labor shortages, as well as the aging of infrastructure. One solution to these challenges is the promotion of PPP/PFI projects by the government, which utilize the technology and capital of private businesses for the development and operation of water purification plants, sewage treatment plants, etc.
In 2023, the government decided to expand the introduction of "Water PPP" by integrating a new public-private partnership method (Management/Renewal Integrated Management Method) that collectively manages maintenance (hereinafter referred to as O&M (Note 4)) and renewal under long-term contracts (Note 3) with the "Concession Method" (Note 5) of entrusting operations to private businesses.
In this context, PPP/PFI projects for water purification plants and sewage treatment plants require stable operation and LCC reduction through efficient and effective construction work and O&M for aging infrastructure.
In the water and wastewater business, Mitsubishi Electric handles electrical equipment such as monitoring and control equipment and power receiving/transforming equipment for water purification plants and sewage treatment plants, while KOBELCO Eco-Solutions develops, designs, constructs, maintains, and inspects mechanical equipment such as biological treatment in water purification plants and decarbonization-related equipment like sludge digestion and fuel conversion in sewage treatment plants.
Through this partnership, the two companies will combine their expertise to jointly develop solutions for overall process optimization and improved maintenance efficiency of various equipment in water purification plants and sewage treatment plants. They will also jointly participate in PPP/PFI projects and submit joint proposals for specific cases. By providing new added value through their cooperation, both companies will promote stable operations and LCC reduction in water purification and sewage treatment plants, contributing to the realization of sustainable water infrastructure.
■ Partnership Overview
Based on this agreement, they will jointly develop solutions that realize process optimization for water purification plants and sewage treatment plants, and jointly participate in Public-Private Partnership (PPP) / Private Finance Initiative (PFI) (Note 1) projects implemented through public-private collaboration. This will promote stable operations and reduce Life Cycle Cost (LCC) (Note 2) in the operation of water purification and sewage treatment plants.
■ Background and Goals of the Partnership
In recent years, municipalities nationwide managing and operating water and wastewater businesses have faced serious challenges such as financial difficulties due to population decline and labor shortages, as well as the aging of infrastructure. One solution to these challenges is the promotion of PPP/PFI projects by the government, which utilize the technology and capital of private businesses for the development and operation of water purification plants, sewage treatment plants, etc.
In 2023, the government decided to expand the introduction of "Water PPP" by integrating a new public-private partnership method (Management/Renewal Integrated Management Method) that collectively manages maintenance (hereinafter referred to as O&M (Note 4)) and renewal under long-term contracts (Note 3) with the "Concession Method" (Note 5) of entrusting operations to private businesses.
In this context, PPP/PFI projects for water purification plants and sewage treatment plants require stable operation and LCC reduction through efficient and effective construction work and O&M for aging infrastructure.
In the water and wastewater business, Mitsubishi Electric handles electrical equipment such as monitoring and control equipment and power receiving/transforming equipment for water purification plants and sewage treatment plants, while KOBELCO Eco-Solutions develops, designs, constructs, maintains, and inspects mechanical equipment such as biological treatment in water purification plants and decarbonization-related equipment like sludge digestion and fuel conversion in sewage treatment plants.
Through this partnership, the two companies will combine their expertise to jointly develop solutions for overall process optimization and improved maintenance efficiency of various equipment in water purification plants and sewage treatment plants. They will also jointly participate in PPP/PFI projects and submit joint proposals for specific cases. By providing new added value through their cooperation, both companies will promote stable operations and LCC reduction in water purification and sewage treatment plants, contributing to the realization of sustainable water infrastructure.
■ Partnership Overview