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The editors of World Environment Report would like to thank all
those who have supplied story ideas for recent issues. The
following is an abstracted edition of the Dec. 6, 1995, edition
for your review.

World Environment Report wants to provide readers with the latest
information on global environmental trends that could affect
your interests or provide new business opportunities. We welcome
your comments and story ideas. Contact the editor, David
Bottorff, at Business Publishers Inc., 951 Pershing Dr., Silver
Spring, MD 20910-4464, 1-301-587-6300, ext. 3005; fax: 1-301-
587-1081; Internet: bpinews@clark.net.

Vol. 21, No. 25            December 6, 1995               Page 215

                    Inside This Issue
 
 Environment Industry to Benefit
 From U.S., EU Cooperation................................Page 216
 
 European Commission to Simplify
 Environmental Regulations................................Page 217
 
 Nepal, European Union Sign
 Cooperative Agreement....................................Page 217
 
 Greece to Receive Funds
 For Water Treatment......................................Page 217
 
 European Commission Downplays
 Concerns Over Sellafield.................................Page 218
 
 Lawmakers Seek ECU800 Million
 For Rejuvenated LIFE Program.............................Page 219
 
 Indonesia to Expand Pulp, Paper Base,
 More Recycled Paper Needed...............................Page 219
 
 European Union, Mediterranean States
 Set Environmental Agenda.................................Page 219
 
 Australia Moves to Sample Oil
 From Ships to Track Pollution............................Page 220
 
 New Zealand, Australia Launch
 Cooperative Waste Program................................Page 221
 
 Melbourne University Critical
 Of Waste Management Practices............................Page 221
 
 News Briefs..............................................Page 222
 
 Business Briefs..........................................Page 223
 

                         SLANTS & TRENDS

CULTIVATING  GOOD  RELATIONS:  International  competition  in  the
environment industry  is  fierce.  Cognizant  of  this  fact,  the
European Union  (EU) is taking aggressive action to promote better
scientific, economic,  political and  social ties with its trading
partners to stimulate environmental goods and services sales.

   These moves can only boost the competitiveness of environmental
firms in  such industry  leading  EU  members  as  France,  Italy,
Germany and Britain to the disadvantage of U.S. companies.

   By way  of long-range  planning,  EU  officials  are  targeting
Japan, one  of the  most advanced  industrial states outside North
America and Western Europe. Japan is known for both its relatively
vigorous   environmental    protection   initiatives    and    its
competitiveness  in   the  international   environmental  products
market.

   In late  November, EU  and Japanese  officials gathered for the
16th Annual  EU-Japan Interparliamentary  Conference to  cultivate
"active cooperation"  and "healthy  competition." The  discussions
examined  a  wide  range  of  cooperative  projects,  but  special
attention was  paid to science and technology, particularly in the
field of  environmental protection. The exchange of information on
efficient industrial practices also was emphasized.

   Meanwhile, the  EU  in  recent  weeks  has  looked  to  improve
environmental cooperation with North America and the Mediterranean
while reexamining its own environmental laws and regulations. This
edition of  WER looks  at  several  EU  initiatives,  and  similar
efforts by  fellow Commonwealth member Australia, and the possible
effect they may have on the international environment industry.



                                 
                          European Union
                                 


Environment Industry to Benefit
From U.S., EU Cooperation

   European Union  (EU) and U.S. officials tentatively have agreed
to join  forces to  combat such global and transnational issues as
environmental protection and nuclear safety.

   Meeting in  Madrid  Dec.  3,  officials  agreed  that  only  by
improving scientific,  economic, social  and political  ties  will
such major environmental and human health threats as those in Cen-
tral and  Eastern Europe  be adequately addressed. The cooperative
attitude is seen as potentially benefitting environmental firms on
both sides of the Atlantic Ocean.

                        Global Challenges

   Specific goals  outlined agreed  to by U.S. and EU officials in
presummit talks include:

   o A  more intensive  dialogue and  coordination of  negotiating
   positions on  major global  environmental issues, including the
   United Nations  Commission on  Sustainable Development  and the
   Global Environmental Facility;
   o  More  discussion  on  regulatory  cooperation  on  chemicals
   issues, including  hazardous chemicals  trade, harmonization of
   labeling and  classification rules, and reduction of risks from
   hazardous substances;
   o Continuing work on biotechnology;
   o Advancing efforts to cut air pollution;
   o Joint  projects to  help Central  and Eastern Europe plus the
   Newly Independent  States  (NIS)  address  their  environmental
   problems;
   o Joint  efforts to  secure the  safety of  all  nuclear  power
   stations throughout  Central and  Eastern Europe,  Russia,  the
   Ukraine and the NIS; and
   o Promoting the ratification of the International Convention on
   Nuclear Safety.

[Text removed for brevity]

   Contact: European  Union, 2100  M St., NW, #707, Washington, DC
20037; +1-202-862-9500; fax: +1-202-429-1766.


           Greece to Receive Funds for Water Treatment

   The European  Commission Nov. 30 approved ECU173.7 million for
 seven water projects in Greece. The projects are seen as part of
 a larger program to help bring southern European states fully up
 to speed with their northern counterparts.
   The initiatives, according to an EC statement, are:
   o Supply of water to Thessaloniki from the Aliakmon River.
   In addition  to design  and  consultancy  work,  this  project
 provides for  finishing of  the pipeline from the River Axios to
 the Sindos pumping station, the construction of filters, various
 pipelines for  the supply  of  drinking  water,  connecting  the
 Aliakmon aqueduct  to various  installations and  renovating and
 repairing the connecting canal.
   The purpose is to supply water to the 1 million inhabitants of
 Thessaloniki. Funding  is set  at ECU80  million, or  85% of the
 eligible cost.
   o Second  phase of the enlargement and finishing of the sewage
 treatment facilities at Thessaloniki.
   The treated waste will be discharged into the Gulf of Thermai.
 Financial aid  from the European Union will reach ECU56 million,
 or 85 percent of the total.
   o Reinforcement  and safeguarding  of the  Mornos aqueduct  in
 order to reduce by 25 percent the loss of water caused by leaks.
   Assistance totals ECU11 million, or 85 percent of total costs.
   o Biological treatment station at Agrinio; Water supply, waste
 water disposal  and biological  treatment at  Thiva; Waste water
 disposal and  biological treatment  station at Pyrgos; and Waste
 water disposal and biological treatment station at Yannitsa.
   These four  decisions involve waste water disposal systems and
 the building  of biological  treatment stations in four regional
 capitals. The  projects will  comply  with  community  standards
 since the towns are situated in sensitive regions. Community aid
 for these four projects amounts to ECU26.7 million.
   Contact:  Greek   Embassy,  2221   Massachusetts   Ave.,   NW,
 Washington, DC 20008; +1-202-332-2727; fax: +1-202-265-4931.


European Commission to Simplify
Its Environmental Regulations

   The  European  Commission  (EC)  announced  Nov.  22  it  would
simplify its  environmental regulations  along  with  other  rules
affecting a wide spectrum of industry.

   Although some  fear streamlining  environmental compliance will
lead to  more pollution,  others say making it easier for industry
to act responsibly will stimulate sales of environmental goods and
services.

   The work,  to continue  through 1996,  will provide  regulatory
relief  and   alternatives  to  legislation,  including  voluntary
agreements with on environmental protection.

   Work already  has begun  with  the  chemical,  electronics  and
recycling  industries   on  voluntary   environmental   protection
initiatives, according to an EC statement.

[Text removed for brevity]


Nepal, European Union Sign
Cooperation Agreement

   Pursuing official  relations established  in 1977, the European
Union and Nepal have inked an agreement on improving environmental
cooperation.

   "We do  have a  lot  of  problems  in  Nepal,"  Nepali  Foreign
Minister Prakash Chandra Lohani said in a statement.

   "We are  a poor  country just  starting the process of economic
transition ... and we have all the problems associated with that."
Particular issues include deforestation, flooding, and urban popu-
lation growth of 10 percent per annum.

   The agreement,  the first between the European Union and Nepal,
calls for  the creation  of a permanent mechanism for facilitating
communication on  environmental and  other issues,  the  statement
said.


European Commission Downplays
Concerns Over Sellafield's THORP

   The  European   Commission  (EC)   largely  dismissed   alleged
radiation hazards  posed by  the Thermal  Oxide Reprocessing Plant
(THORP) at  Sellafield  in  northern  England  during  Nov.  27-28
hearings  conducted   by  the   European  Parliament's   Petitions
Committee. The  concern is  said to  demonstrate the  never ending
need for  advanced nuclear  safety and  remediation equipment, and
for good public relations at contaminated sites.

   THORP reprocesses  spent oxide fuel from nuclear power stations
into uranium oxide, radioactive waste products and plutonium.

   Two petitions, one from Ireland and one from Britain, expressed
concern about the possible environmental and health risks posed by
Sellafield,  especially   residual   radiation   from   the   1957
experimental reactor fire.

[Text removed for brevity]

   The petitions  will be  forwarded to  Parliament's  Environment
Committee. The  next committee  meeting will  be held  Dec. 18-19.
Contact: European  Union, 2100  M St.,  NW, #707,  Washington,  DC
20037; (202) 862-9500; fax: (202) 429-1766.


Lawmakers Seek ECU800 Million
For Rejuvenated LIFE Program

   LIFE, the European Union's only specific financial mechanism in
support of  the environment,  should be  funded at  ECU800 million
between 1996  and 1999,  not  merely  ECU450  million  as  earlier
recommended by EU environment ministers, according to the European
Parliament.

   The Environment  Council earlier  approved a commission request
LIFE be  extended through 1999. LIFE I ends Dec. 31. The ministers
agreed to  the commission's  ECU450 million  budget but wanted the
funding level reviewed 1997.

   The LIFE  II initiative  should  be  expanded  to  include  air
pollution and water management, according to a report submitted to
the Parliament's Environment Committee.

[Text removed for brevity]


                                 
                               Asia
                                 


Indonesia to Expand Pulp, Paper Base
But More Recycled Paper Needed

   Indonesia, already  under criticism  for its  forest management
practices, said  Nov. 22 it plans to expand its share of the world
pulp and  paper market.  The country  currently is  ranked 14th in
pulp and  15th in  paper production. Limited supplies of pulp wood
and recycled  paper, however,  may limit  expansion, the country's
Ministry of Industry said in a statement.

   The country, which recovers only about 25 percent of its paper,
or 600,000 metric tons per year, even must import recovered paper.
Indonesia wants to produce 6.4 million metric tons of pulp and 7.2
million metric  tons of  paper per year by the end of the century.
Total annual  world pulp  production in  1994 was  164.78  million
metric tons.

[Text removed for brevity]


                                 
                          Mediterranean
                                 


European Union, Mediterranean States
Establish Environmental Agenda

   Companies   looking    for   environmental   markets   in   the
Mediterranean region  are expected  to benefit  from an  accord on
environmental, economic  and cultural  cooperation reached Nov. 27
in  Barcelona   between  the   15  European   Union  members   and
representatives from  11 Mediterranean states plus the Palestinian
Authority.

   The summit was the first time virtually all Mediterranean basin
states gathered  with their  European Union counterparts. Although
few concrete  measures were  embraced, the  summit was  seen as  a
symbolic bid  to improve  regional  environmental  protection  and
communication.

[Text removed for brevity]


                                 
                             Oceania
                                 


Australia Moves to Sample Oil
From Ships to Track Pollution

   The Australian  Parliament's Transportation  Committee issued a
report Nov. 27 calling for mandated sampling of ship oil stores to
facilitate tracking in the event of a spill.

   The Newcastle  Port Authority,  which already  has  a  sampling
program underway,  says the procedure costs about A$7 per ship and
acts as a deterrent to crews that might otherwise discharge oil at
sea.

   "The Newcastle  program is  low cost, helps identify the source
of oil  spills and  has helped to reduce pollution incidents," the
report says.  The Australian  Maritime  Safety  Authority  (AMSA),
however, argues  that the  sampling will  be labor  intensive  and
costly.

   The report  was drafted  to review  the  country's  ability  to
respond to  major oil  spills. Although  much attention is paid to
major spills  from tanker  accidents, such  spillages only account
for roughly 12 percent of marine oil pollution, the report says.

[Text removed for brevity]

                        National Strategy

   In  a  related  development,  a  national  strategy  to  combat
pollution from ships was adopted Nov. 24 by the Australian and New
Zealand Environment and Conservation Council (ANZECC) (see related
story, next  page). The  program addresses pollution from 11 major
sources, including  ballast waster  and inadequate port-side waste
facilities.

   More public  education and  greater cooperation with Aboriginal
peoples also  is included  in  the  strategy,  ANZECC  said  in  a
statement.

[Text removed for brevity]

   As with  Australia, the European Parliament (EP) is considering
a proposal  (COM(95)269) that  international safety  standards  be
applied uniformly  to all  European Union ships to help reduce the
incident of marine pollution.

   Although all EU members are supposed to adhere to International
Maritime  Organization  (IMO)  safety  rules,  enforcement  varies
widely from state to state, the EP said in a statement.

[Text removed for brevity]


       Spinoff Environment Industry Termed Worth Preserving

   Ecotourism, worth  A$250 million  annually, may  start falling
 off in Australia if the country does not dedicate more resources
 to rehabilitating  and protecting  natural areas, the Ecotourism
 Association of  Australia (EAA)  told a  late November  national
 conference in  Alice  Springs,  Northern  Territories.  Although
 Australia could become a world leader in ecotourism, the general
 lack of  appreciation by  government of  the role national parks
 and protected  areas play  could  hurt  growth,  the  EAA  said.
 Ecotourism today  represents about  3 percent  of the  country's
 total tourism  earnings and  may double  by 2000. In addition to
 lax infrastructure  maintenance, poor waste management and other
 problems  often   dissuades    tourists,    the  EAA  said.  The
 association asked  funds be  redirected from  such major attrac-
 tions as Uluru, Kakadu, Wet Tropis and the Great Barrier Reef to
 such places  as Fraser  Island. The  association argues  that  a
 relatively small  investment could make Australia a world leader
 in both  conservation and the presentation of wildlife. Canberra
 earlier announced  a A$10  million National Ecotourism Strategy.
 The goal  was to guide tourism companies on how to form policies
 and facilitate  ecotourism. Contact:  Ecotourism Association  of
 Australia, GPO  Box 1122, Brisbaine, Queensland 4001, Australia;
 +61-7-221-1811; fax: +61-7-221-3270.


New Zealand, Australia Launch
Cooperative Waste Program

   The environment industry received a ringing endorsement Nov. 24
from  the   10th  Australian   and  New  Zealand  Environment  and
Conservation Council (ANZECC).

   The  organization,   which  plays   a  key   role  in   forming

environmental policy  in the  two countries,  calls  for  reducing
solid  waste  and  shipping  pollution  plus  new  initiatives  to
preserve natural resources.

   ANZECC   also    agreed   to    an   "interim   biogeographical
regionalization  of   Australia,"  a   framework  for  identifying
shortcomings in  the national wildlife protection. The goal is for
government to  create a  comprehensive  mechanism  for  protecting
natural areas.

   Also announced  Nov. 24  was the WasteWise program to cut by 70
percent construction  and demolition waste. The 14 million tons of
such waste  generated each  year  represents  30  percent  of  all
municipal waste, ANZECC said in a statement on the program.

[Text removed for brevity]


Melbourne University Critical
Of Waste Management Practices

   The University  of Melbourne  has determined  that  poor  waste
management patterns  was forcing  a massive  problem  onto  future
generations.

   In a  study announced  Nov. 24,  the school  said the country's
solid waste facilities are being filled to capacity, are not being
well maintained, and that there is little regard for the long-term
environmental damage the sites may cause.

   The study,  which finds the government places too much emphasis
on short-term  environmental impact  and  cost,  is  the  school's
second, year-long study of environmental problems in Australia.

   Current practice  is to  fill storage  facilities with unstable
wastes and  seal them  to prevent  biochemical  reactions  without
regard for the fact the waste must be managed in the future.

[Text removed for brevity]

   Contact:  Environmental   Attache,  Australian   Embassy,  1601
Massachusetts Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20036; +1-202-797-3000.


                                 
                           News Briefs
                                 


   o CHINA:  The China  National Environmental  Protection Co. has
announced Alanco  Environmental  Resources  Corp.  of  Scottsdale,
Ariz.,  was   given  permission  to  market  Charged  Dry  Sorbent
Injection (CDSI)  industrial pollution control equipment in China.
CDSI is  a sulfur  dioxide removal  technology. The  technology is
especially useful  at coal-fired  boilers, more  than  400,000  of
which are  in operation  in China.  China releases  more  than  19
million tons of particulates and 18 million tons of sulfur dioxide
into the  air annually,  resulting in  serious acid rain problems.
China ranks  third after  the United  States and Russia for carbon
dioxide emissions  from  coal-burning  facilities.  Coal  provides
roughly 76  percent of  its energy.  Contact: Alanco Environmental
Resources Corp., +1-602-874-0448.

   o CHINA:  Beijing has  announced  it  will  make  environmental
degradation a criminal offense, according to the English The China
Daily newspaper.  The National Environmental Protection Agency was
quoted as  saying that  companies or  individuals causing  serious
pollution will be imprisoned or even given capital punishment. The
strong  measures   come  as   environmental  protection  officials
continue to  fight a  loosing battle with rapid industrialization.
Water, solid  waste and  air pollution  are  particular  problems,
Sinophiles say. A new law banning unusable solid waste imports and
regulating  waste  treatment  facilities  will  take  effect  next
spring, the  government says. Further, rules on moving solid waste
from region to region, on noise, and on radioactive materials will
be implemented.

   o NORWAY: The European Parliament, acting on complaints Russian
authorities harassed  the Norwegian  environmental group  Bellona,
has adopted  a resolution  calling on  Moscow to stop the activity
and explain  its actions. Bellona recently explored nuclear safety
and waste  management on  the  Kola  Peninsula.  Contact:  Bellona
Miljovernstiftelsen, POB  8874, Young  Storget, 0028 Oslo, Norway;
+47-2238-2410.

   o SOUTH  KOREA: Seoul  has decided to not build a nuclear waste
repository on  Kulop Island,  because two fault lines were located
about 2  miles away,  the Environment  Ministry announced Nov. 30.
The facility,  which was  to have  been built over seven years and
would have  been the  country's nuclear  waste repository,  was to
store up  to 1 million drums of waste. The failure to proceed with
building plans  means South  Korea has  no specific  site to store
waste from  its 10  nuclear power  plants. (Five  more plants  are
under construction.)  Kulop Island  is inhabited  by seven people,
the Environment  Ministry says.  It was selected was selected last
year. Contact:  Environmental Attache,  South Korean Embassy, 2450
Massachusetts Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20008; +1-202-939-6463.

   o TAIWAN: Taipei is negotiating with Russia on reprocessing its
nuclear waste.  Although Russia  officials  have  said  the  first
shipment -  some 2,000 liters of low-level waste - is to arrive in
Murmansk in April, the nationalized Taiwan Power Co. contends that
although a  letter of  intent to work cooperatively with Russia on
nuclear waste  management was  struck last spring, the deal is not
yet set. Taiwan operates three nuclear power stations. A fourth is
being built.  Taiwan currently  maintains a  nuclear waste storage
facility on  Orchid Island, the government says. That site will be
at capacity in two years.

   Although construction  of new  facilities is vehemently opposed
by local  groups, the  Taiwan Power  Co. announced  earlier it  is
looking for  a contractor to build an independent spent fuel stor-
age installation  for its  Chinshan  Nuclear  Power  Station.  The
contractor   would   be  required to design, fabricate and deliver
the  spent  fuel  facility,  as  well  as  build  the  foundation,
construct and  install the  facility  itself  and  commission  the
facility. Qualifications  are due  Dec. 5  to: DNFPP, Taiwan Power
Co., 39  Ho-Ping East  Road, Section 1, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC, Attn:
C.H. Liu,  Deputy Director;  telex: 21502  TAINUFOS; fax: +886-02-
391-0281.

   o UNITED  KINGDOM: Despite  failing to  attack France  for  its
South Pacific  nuclear testing, Britain remains "green," according
to a  Nov. 24  statement by  Environment  Secretary  John  Gummer.
Britain  wants   to  see   programs  for  testing  and  monitoring
environmental standards  applied  uniformly  across  the  European
Union, he  told a  Brussels gathering  of environmental officials.
The methods  for achieving those goals, however, should be left to
each state, he said. Evidencing the need for harmonized standards,
Gummer said  a water  sample recently  tested by  each  EU  member
generated results  differing by  factors of  up to 1,000. Contact:
Counsellor for  Environment, British  Embassy, 3100  Massachusetts
Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20008; +1-202-462-1340.

   o UNITED  KINGDOM: If British packaging firms do not reduce the
massive annual  buildup of  solid waste for which they are respon-
sible,  the   government  may  take  action,  British  Environment
Secretary Frank  Dobson said  Nov. 22. Dobson, speaking before the
packaging firm Incpen's annual lunch, said leaving it to companies
to do  their best  was not  enough if  the companies  fail to take
responsibility for  the problem. The European Union is considering
a packaging waste directive that require member states recycle 50-
60 percent  of all packaging waste by 2001. The recovered material
will be  used in incinerators or be reused. Dobson said preventing
waste creation  is preferable  to reuse.  Calling  for  companies,
local governments  and citizens groups to cooperate, Dobson said a
failure to  set targets  will mean  nothing will  be accomplished.
Contact:  Counsellor   for  Environment,   British  Embassy,  3100
Massachusetts Ave.,  NW, Washington,  DC  20008;  +1-202-462-1340;
fax: +1-202-898-4224.

   o U.S./MEXICO: Comprehensive environmental policy plans for the
border area  should be  ready  by  January.  Officials  from  both
nations  are   reviewing  comments   on  draft  plans  from  local
authorities. The final draft will guide governmental actions along
the border  until 2000  and include  provisions for  dealing  with
water, air,  toxic waste, enforcement, prevention of damage, emer-
gency response capacity, natural resources and public information.
For  more   information,  contact  Jose  Luis  Samaniego,  Mexican
Secretariat of Environment, +51-5-628-0602.

   o U.S./EU:  The American  Chamber of  Commerce's European Union
Committee, located  in Belgium  released its  1996 EU  Environment
Guide Nov.  28.  The  guide  reviews  EU  environmental  policies,
including rules  on waste management, hazardous chemicals, and air
and water  pollution. Also  included is  an organization chart for
the European Commission's environment arm, Directorate General XI,
plus contact  names and  fax and  telephone numbers.  Contact:  EU
Committee of the American Chamber of Commerce in Belgium, Ave. des
Arts 50,  Box 5,  B-1040 Brussels,  Belgium; +32-2-513-68-92; fax:
+32-2-513-79-28.

   o  VIETNAM:  The  International  Atomic  Energy  Agency  (IAEA)
visited Vietnam  last week  to study  plans to  develop a  nuclear
power industry.  The visit  is a  fact-finding mission designed to
assess the  feasibility of  installing nuclear power facilities in
the country,  according to  a statement by Vietnam's Atomic Energy
Commission. Plans  to use  nuclear energy  is in the early stages.
Neither sites nor reactor types have been selected, the commission
said. A  full study  of how  nuclear energy could be used is to be
conducted next  year. Hanoi  has been  considering  a  $3  billion
nuclear power  plant project  since  July.  Under  the  plan,  the
facility would  be built  over the  next 20  years. Although there
appears to be a high-level political commitment to investigate and
implement nuclear  power, largely  to accommodate  economic expan-
sion, concerns  about financing and waste storage remain. Vietnam,
a signatory  to  the  Nuclear  Nonproliferation  Treaty,  has  one
experimental reactor.


                                 
                         Business Briefs
                                 


   o CANADA:  Cascades Inc.  of Kingsey  Falls, Quebec,  announced
Nov. 22  its Recuperation  Cascades Inc.  unit has  been awarded a
government contract  for recycling  waste  paper  from  government
offices in the Ottawa area over the next five years. Cascades said
the contract  is worth  more than  C$10 million.  The company will
collect more  than 13,000  metric tons of waste paper annually and
convert it  into at  the company's  board  and  paper  mills.  The
contract becomes effective Feb. 1.

   o CANADA:  Philip  Environmental  Inc.  of  Hamilton,  Ontario,
announced Nov.  30 it  has bought  CyanoKEM  Inc.  and  ThermalKEM
Inc., from  American NuKem  Corp. CyanoKEM  and ThermalKEM operate
chemical waste  treatment,  storage  and  disposal  facilities  in
Detroit, Mich., and Rock Hill, S.C. The plants are licensed to re-
ceive  a   variety  of   chemical  and   hazardous  waste,  Philip
Environmental  said.  The  facilities  are  expected  to  generate
revenue C$20  million next  year. Contact: Allen Fracassi, +1-905-
521-1600.

   o FRANCE:  Britain's Northumbrian  Water, based  in  Newcastle,
agreed Nov. 23 to a 823 million pound takeover bid from the French
group Lyonnaise  des Eaux,  which said  it will  create a group to
generate "significant  employment and investment opportunities" in
the  region.  Northumbrian,  with  low  leakage  levels  and  high
efficiency, is  said to  be one  of the  best water  companies  in
Britain. It  owns Kielder  Reservoir, the largest man-made lake in
Europe. Lyonnaise  des Eaux,  one of  France's largest  utilities,
already owns  North East  Water and  has been  aggressively buying
other British  water, waste  and construction  firms. Northumbrian
Water also  deals with  sewage from  2.6 million  people from  the
Scottish border  to the  Teesside. On  Nov. 30,  London's Board of
Trade announced  there is  room for  competition in  the waste and
potable water  industry, opening the door for the possibility con-
sumers will be allowed to choose their water company.

   o PORTUGAL:  Foster Wheeler  divisions Power  Systems Inc.  and
Conception Etudes Entretien have been selected to design and build
a municipal  solid waste  power plant  in  Loures,  Portugal,  the
companies announced Nov. 27. The contract was let by Valorizacao e
Tratamento de  Residuos Solidos  da Area  Metropolitana de  Lisboa
S.A. The mother company, Foster Wheeler Corp., is headquartered in
Clinton, N.J.  The plan  will treat  2,000  tons  of  refuse  from
Amadora, Lisbon,  Loures and  Villa Franca  de Xira  each day  and
produce  41.5  megawatts  of  electric,  which  will  be  sold  to
Electricidade de  Portugal. Contact:  Foster Wheeler,  +1-908-730-
4000.

   o MEXICO:  Metalclad Co.  of Newport  Beach, Calif.,  announced
Nov. 24  it has  won  an  agreement  to  open  a  hazardous  waste
treatment plant  at an existing but unused landfill in Mexico. The
facility will  operate for five years. The agreement, signed by La
Procuraduria Federal de Proteccion al Ambiente and El Instituto de
Ecologia, will let Metalclad begin operating the facility in a few
weeks. Construction  of the  treatment facility  was completed  in
March but  operation has  been delayed by safety and environmental
impact studies.  Metalclad also  will remediate the existing waste
transfer station.

   o UNITED  KINGDOM: Waste  management group  Shanks & McEwan has
announced Rechem, its incineration company, will succeed despite a
falloff in  overseas contracts. The company will benefit in coming
years from  new landfill regulations, Shanks & McEwan said. "Waste
services  should  continue  to  perform  satisfactorily  and  [the
company] will  seek to  expand its  activities both geographically
and in new technologies," the company said.

                                                               END

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