The Minister of the Presidency, Juan Carlos Orillac, received in his office representatives of the international group EQT, a heavyweight in global investments based in Stockholm. The meeting revolved around the consortium's interest in expanding operations in Panama, mainly in projects related to drinking water. The group manages assets exceeding 210 billion euros, a figure that places it among the largest investment funds on the planet. The executives indicated that their plan would be to grow in the country through its subsidiary Seven Seas Water Group and the local company Aguas de Panamá, S.A. (APSA). During the meeting, Vikram Dhawan, director of EQT, explained that the group's focus would be on the sector for the production and supply of drinking water. In this direction, he explained that the Executive is working on a strategic plan that includes new water treatment plants and improvements to existing ones. Herry Charrabe, CEO of Seven Seas Water Group; Oliver Wiese, commercial director of that EQT division; and Jorge Castillo, manager of Aguas de Panamá, also participated in the meeting. The group's executives also held a meeting with Foreign Minister Javier Martínez-Acha, who presented them with the possibility of establishing their regional headquarters in Panama. The country maintains an incentives program that has already attracted about 90 multinationals interested in operating from Panamanian territory. According to him, the company has the financial backing and technical capacity to develop water infrastructure projects in the country. Dhawan also recalled the recent corporate move where EQT participates alongside the financial giant BlackRock in the purchase of AES's global operations, a transaction valued at over 33 billion dollars, considered one of the largest in the energy sector. On his part, Minister Orillac reiterated that the government of President José Raúl Mulino maintains as a priority to bring drinking water to more Panamanians.
