Dutch water export tops 8,4 billion euro in 2019
The Dutch water sector reports a further growth in their export in 2019. The latest edition of Water Sector Export Index (WEX) shows a growth to 8.4 billion euro. This is 4 percent more than in 2018. Especially the export of water technology is doing well with a growth of 13,5 percent.
More demand for fresh water
The new export figures were published in the latest edition Water Sector Export Index (WEX) that shows new – more definitive – figures of 2018 and the first temporary figures of 2019.
In 2019 the Dutch water technology companies did extremely well. Since 2015 their export has increased significant and is now showing a double-digit percentage gain. In 2019 the export of water technology is expected to top 3,8 billion euro. According to the WEX-report the companies with water technology are benefiting, among other things, from the increasing focus on water management and the growing demand for clean fresh water.
Market bottom for oil and gas
Companies in hydraulic engineering are facing the consequences of overcapacity and decreasing investments in the oil and gas industry. The dredging work is under pressure too. Although 2018 was a good year with growth of 11 percent, the export showed a drop by 2,7 percent in 2019.
The WEX-report is optimistic for the future though. There is still overcapacity in the oil and gas sector, but the market is expected to have reached its bottom. In recent years the Dutch hydraulic engineering companies have compensated the declining oil and gas offshore orders with more contracts for the construction of offshore wind farms and the laying of undersea cables.
Future expectations
For 2020, two thirds of the water technology and hydraulic engineering companies expect an increase in their foreign activities, as more new offshore wind and solar energy projects are on the horizon worldwide. Although international trade conflicts, for instance over the undersea pipelines for Russian gas, may temper their expectations.
Dutch water technology companies are optimistic as well. The increasing demand for fresh water will not only increase the demand for drinking water installations, but also the demand for waste water treatment installations. Especially the re-use of waste water is expected to become a major topic.
According to the latest WEX-report the Dutch water sector foresees a growth of foreign water activities by nearly 8 percent in 2020.
More collaboration
The Netherlands Water Partnership (NWP) is one of the organizations involved in the annual export survey and links the Dutch water sector with the international (water) sector. According to managing director Bianca Nijhof the recent figures are promising.
Nijhof: ‘Over two thirds of the Dutch water sector has a positive outlook of doing business abroad. This shows that Dutch collaboration and its integrated water solutions are still in high demand, as the sector expects a turnover increase of four percent from international business conducted in 2019.’
‘We as Netherlands Water Partnership will continue to identify new business opportunities and partnerships while contributing to a more sustainable world’, she added.
The latest WEX-report gives insight in the definitive figures for 2018, provisional figures for 2019, and a global estimate for exports in 2020. The research was carried out by agency Panteia within the framework of the Partners for Water Programme of the Dutch Government. The Netherlands Water Partnership, Water Alliance and Envaqua are the initiators of the survey.