Interview with Olivier Barbaroux

As the Chairman of Dalkia, could you tell us a bit about your company ?

Olivier Barbaroux, head of the energy services division, Chief Executive Officer of Dalkia

Olivier Barbaroux, head of the energy services division, Chief Executive Officer of Dalkia

Dalkia is the energy division of Veolia Environnement, a global specialist in environmental services. We're also a preferred partner of our other shareholder, French utility Electricité de France (EDF), which has a 34% stake.

We are the leading provider of energy services for local authorities, public institutions, industry and businesses.

What do you mean by "energy services" ?

We help our customers to manage their energy use and spending and to reduce their energy facilities' environmental impact.

How ?

Our customers outsource the management and maintenance of their energy facilities to us. Across Europe, Canada and Asia, we manage large heating, steam production, cooling and compressed air networks and installations for thousands of plants, public facilities, healthcare establishments and offices.

We can also purchase fuel for customers, enabling them to capitalize on our negotiating power—we're France's biggest gas purchaser.

What are the advantages for customers ?

Their core businesses don't require them to train teams of energy specialists. Ours does. By working with us, customers can count on highly professional technicians with the right tools and equipment who are part of a network with tens of thousands of members worldwide. Each team benefits from the expertise and experience of all the others.

What guarantees do you offer ?

We guarantee performance in our contracts. This commitment is backed by a highly professional approach that starts with a facility audit and discussions with the customer to set clear objectives. We partner our customers in their energy management.

You really think of yourselves as a partner ?

Yes, because we help our customers get the most out of their investments and work with them over the long term— some of our contracts run for more than 20 years. Because our customers trust us, they come to us for technical maintenance and comprehensive building management services, as well as energy management.

How do you see Dalkia's future ?

Given our focus on promoting sustainable development, we're right at the centre of some of the 21st-century's main concerns. We're on a path of steady growth. We're expanding strongly outside France, and our international operations now account for more than half of our revenue. We're pursuing this development in central and northern Europe, expanding in Latin America, and making promising inroads in Canada, the United States and China.

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