United Development Company [UDC] & Millenya Inc. of Ankara, Turkey have signed a Memorandum of Understanding [MOU] whereby UDC will acquire 60% of Millenya equity from its founder owners, who will retain a 40% equity stake and will jointly manage the operations.
Millenya Inc. is an innovative company in the biological wastewater treatment and reuse business. The company is the developer and manufacturer of the modular “BiocellTM” compact wastewater treatment and reuse system for efficient and economic wastewater treatment solutions.
By entering into this agreement, UDC and Millenya Inc will jointly expand existing operations and production facilities to serve the rapidly expanding regional and global water treatment market.
There are already several hundred Millenya BiocellTM units operating in Turkey, Jordan and Iraq. The company is currently negotiating orders throughout the MENA region. The first BiocellTM plant in Qatar will be installed by UDC in its prestigious Pearl-Qatar island real estate project in order to treat wastewater from offices and construction camps during the development phases. The treated water will conform to European Union standards and will be used for irrigation and construction purposes.
The plans for Millenya include the initial investment of US $ 3 million in a new manufacturing plant in Turkey and an extensive R&D and product development programme in collaboration with the Middle East Technical University of Ankara.
Wastewater treatment and conservation was identified early on by UDC as a vital growth sector worldwide, and by investing in the Millenya company and its product development, UDC and the Millenya company founders expect to grow the business into a powerful global player in wastewater treatment plant supply and services.
UDC Managing Director Khalil Sholy said “We are very pleased to announce our entry into the environmental remediation and treatment plant business. This is a rapidly growing industry and corresponds with our various business operations. It also reflects our business strategy of global UDC partnerships and investments. We look forward to working with our Turkish partners.”
ABOUT UNITED DEVELOPMENT COMPANY (UDC)
United Development Company (UDC) is one of the country’s leading private sector shareholding companies with a mission to identify and invest in long-term projects contributing to Qatar’s growth and providing good shareholder value. The company was established in 1999 and has an authorized share capital of QR 825 million (US $227 million), was listed on the Doha Securities Market in June 2003, and is a Gulf Business Top 100 company.
UDC’s target areas of interest include: infrastructure, energy-intensive industries, downstream hydrocarbons, real estate, construction and environment-related businesses. UDC established the Qatar Dredging Company – a joint venture with the State of Qatar and Belgium’s Dredging, Environmental & Marine Engineering NV– and formed Qatar Cool, a district cooling company, in partnership with Tabreed of the United Arab Emirates. UDC is also a partner in Seef Limited – a joint venture with Qatar Petroleum to develop a plant to produce linear alkyl benzene (LAB), which is the main feedstock for detergent manufacture. The plant starts operations in 2006 with a production capacity of 100,000 tons a year. UDC has also invested in the Gulf Formaldehyde Company as a joint venture partner with Qatar Fertiliser Company (QAFCO) and other Qatari investors. Operations began in 2004. Currently, UDC is in the process of incorporating United Ready-Mix W.L.L, a joint venture with BESIX. The company will produce and deliver ready-mix concrete products according to international standards.
UDC’s founders, who at launch held 45% of the shares, are among Qatar’s most successful investors and developers. A large number of Qatari and GCC investors are shareholders in UDC.
About Millenya
Millenya Inc is an innovative Turkish company with a primary focus in the environmental field. The company manufactures, sells and supports packaged wastewater treatment plants which are a unique blend of technology, efficiency and structure. It also provides systems integration services for reverse osmosis (RO) systems in industrial applications.
Millenya’s patented compact wastewater treatment plant (BiocellTM) which uses RBC (Rotating Biological Contactor) technology and is manufactured out of high tech composites, offers exceptional value. Several hundred units are already in daily operation. With the benefit of research grants and in-house innovation, the system and products are being continually improved and developed for their wide range of applications.
The Millenya Company was established in 1997 and its headquarters and manufacturing operations are located in the Turkish Capital of Ankara. Its sales network, serving the residential, leisure/hospitality and industrial private and public sectors, is growing throughout the MENA region, and the intention is to expand globally with new products and services and increased manufacturing capacity.
