Dalkia Canada and Gaz Metro Plus, a subsidiary of Gaz Metro, one of the leaders in the distribution of natural gas in Canada, signed a partnership agreement on 14 February 2006. The partners are setting up a joint venture company called "CDH Solutions & Operations" to develop and operate district heating and cooling networks in Canada. This joint venture is thus backed by two well established shareholders with complementary and diversified expertise to provide customers with a better response to their heating and air conditioning requirements.

This partnership will be supported by Gaz Metro Plus' subsidiary CCUM (Climatisation et Chauffage Urbain de Montréal), which is the owner and operator of the district heating and cooling network in Montreal, Quebec, within "CDH Solutions & Operations".

This agreement stipulates that the joint company is to be managed by Dalkia which notably provides its expertise in the fields of energy and environmental optimization and the efficient management of heating networks, with the aim of generating an estimated annual turnover of €150 million within the next 3 years.

With assets worth more than $2.5 billion and more than 1,500 employees in Quebec, Gaz Metro is one of the largest natural gas supply companies in Canada. Gaz Metro supplies some 164,000 customers in Quebec with an underground pipe network almost 10,000 km long. One of its subsidiaries, Vermont Gas Systems, supplies about 37,000 customers. As one of Gaz Metro subsidiaries, Gaz Metro Plus provides maintenance and repair services for natural gas district air conditioning and heating equipment, and water heater rental services, including electric water heaters (HydroSolution).

As a subsidiary of Veolia Environnement and EDF, Dalkia is Europe's leading energy service provider for elected authorities and companies. Its vocation has always been to promote energy and environmental optimization. Management of heating networks, energy and fluid production units, engineering and maintenance services for energy facilities, technical services for the operation of service and industrial buildings, providing of building integrated management services: Dalkia meets the needs of its customers through comprehensive, customized solutions providing comfort and energy efficiency. With more than 45,000 staff in 38 countries, Dalkia's 2005 turnover was €6.1 billion.

Dalkia - Pascale Barillot : +33 1 71 75 11 40 - Fax : +33 1 71 75 11 37