Extended Annual Review Report Project Numbers: 45900-014 (Phase 1) and 47923-001 (Phase 2) Loan Numbers: LN2753 and CF58 (Phase 1) and LN3071 and CF63 (Phase 2) December 2020 China Water Affairs Group Limited Phase 1: Municipal Water Distribution Infrastructure Development Project Phase 2: Urban–Rural Integration Water Distribution Project (People’s Republic of China) This is an abbreviated version of the document, which excludes information that is subject to exceptions to disclosure set forth in ADB’s Access to Information Policy. CURRENCY EQUIVALENTS Currency units – yuan (CNY) – Hong Kong dollar (HK$) At Appraisal At Operations Evaluation Phase 1: Phase 2: 12 Feb 2011 30 Sep 2013 27 May 2020 CNY1.00 – $0.15 $0.16 $0.14 HK$1.00 – $0.13 $0.13 $0.13 $1.00 – CNY6.59 CNY6.12 CNY7.13 $1.00 – HK$7.80 HK$7.76 HK$7.75 ABBREVIATIONS ADB – Asian Development Bank CIL – China Water Affairs Investment Limited CWA – China Water Affairs Group Limited DEMR – development effectiveness monitoring report DMF – design and monitoring framework EHS – environment, health, and safety EIRR – economic internal rate of return ESG – environment, sustainability, and governance ESHS – environment, social, health, and safety ESMS – environmental and social management system FIRR – financial internal rate of return km – kilometer m3 – cubic meter PPP – public–private partnership PRC – People’s Republic of China RRP – report and recommendation of the President US – United States NOTES (i) The fiscal year (FY) of China Water Affairs Group Limited ends on 31 March. “FY” before a calendar year denotes the year in which the fiscal year ends, e.g. FY2019 ends on 31 March 2019. (ii) In this report, “$” refers to United States dollars unless otherwise stated. Vice-President Ashok Lavasa, Private Sector Operations and Public–Private Partnerships Director General Michael Peter Barrow, Private Sector Operations Department (PSOD) Director Maria Eufemia V. Apilado, Portfolio Management Division (PSPM), PSOD Team leader Suhail Yaqoob Khan, Principal Investment Specialist, PSPM, PSOD Team members Jhiedon Florentino, Economics Officer, Private Sector Transaction Support Division (PSTS), PSOD Hayato Hoshi, Senior Investment Specialist, PSPM, PSOD Manfred Kiefer, Senior Economist, PSTS, PSOD Lingkai Li, Investment Officer, PSPM, PSOD Arlene Ponce De Leon Porras, Senior Safeguards Officer, PSTS, PSOD Raneliza Deguia Samiano, Senior Social Development Officer, PSTS, PSOD Yee To Wong, Investment Specialist, PSPM, PSOD In preparing any country program or strategy, financing any project, or by making any designation of or reference to a particular territory or geographic area in this document, the Asian Development Bank does not intend to make any judgments as to the legal or other status of any territory or area. CONTENTS Page BASIC DATA i EXECUTIVE SUMMARY iii I. THE PROJECT 1 A. Project Background 1 B. Key Project Features 2 C. Progress Highlights 2 II. EVALUATION 3 A. Project Rationale and Objectives 3 B. Development Results 4 C. ADB Additionality 6 D. ADB Investment Profitability 7 E. ADB Work Quality 7 F. Overall Evaluation 8 III. ISSUES, LESSONS, AND RECOMMENDED FOLLOW-UP ACTIONS AFTER VISIT 8 A. Issues and Lessons 8 B. Recommendations and Follow-Up Actions 8 APPENDIXES 1. Project-Related Data 9 2. Results and Ratings for Project Contributions to Private Sector 10 Development and ADB Strategic Development Objectives—Infrastructure 3. Sector Review 14 4. Environmental Impact 16 5. Social Impact 19 BASIC DATA Municipal Water Distribution Infrastructure Development Project (Phase 1) (LN2753 and CF58-PRC) As per ADB Project Documents Actual Key Project Data ($ million) ($ million) ADB Investment: A Loan: 100.0 Committed 100.0 Disbursed 100.0 B Loan: 100.0 Committed 100.0 Disbursed 100.0 ADB = Asian Development Bank. Key Dates Expected Actual Concept Clearance Approval 14 February 2011 14 February 2011 Board Approval 25 April 2011 25 April 2011 Signing of A Loan Documents 30 June 2011 8 July 2011 First Disbursement under A Loan 30 June 2011 7 November 2011 Signing of B Loan Documents 31 December 2012 1 February 2013 First Disbursement under B Loan 31 December 2012 10 April 2013 Project Administration and Monitoring Number of Missions Number of Person-Days Due Diligence and Appraisal 4 19 Negotiations and Signing 5 23 XARR Missiona 1 6 XARR = extended annual review report. a The mission was in the form of a virtual meeting because of travel restrictions related to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. ii BASIC DATA Urban–Rural Integration Water Distribution Project (Phase 2) (LN3071 and CF63-PRC) As per ADB Project Documents Actual Key Project Data ($ million) ($ million) ADB Investment: A Loan: 100.0 Committed 100.0 Disbursed 100.0 B Loana: 200.0 Committed 200.0 Disbursed 200.0 ADB = Asian Development Bank. a B Loan commitment of up to $100 million was approved by ADB’s Board of Directors on 3 December 2013. The Investment Committee approved on 29 October 2015 a request to upsize B loan commitment to up to $200 million in total. Key Dates Expected Actual Concept Clearance Approval 5 August 2013 5 August 2013 Board Approval 3 December 2013 3 December 2013 Signing of A Loan Documents 31 March 2014 27 May 2014 First Disbursement under A Loan 30 September 2014 18 June 2015 Signing of B Loan Documents 30 September 2015 18 January 2016 First Disbursement under B Loan 30 September 2015 27 January 2016 Project Administration and Monitoring Number of Missions Number of Person-Days Due Diligence and Appraisal 1 9 Negotiations and Signing 6 24 XARR Missiona 1 6 XARR = extended annual review report. a The mission was in the form of a virtual meeting because of travel restrictions related to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This extended annual review report covers two projects with China Water Affairs Group Limited (CWA): (i) the Municipal Water Distribution Infrastructure Development Project (phase 1), approved by the Board of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in April 2011, (ii) and the Urban–Rural Integration Water Distribution Project (phase 2), approved in December 2013. Phase 1 assistance comprised (i) a United States (US) dollar–yuan dual currency A loan of $100 million equivalent, and (ii) a B loan of $100 million. Phase 2 assistance comprised (i) a US dollar–yuan dual currency A loan of $100 million equivalent, and (ii) a B loan of $200 million. The projects supported improved water distribution services in second- and third-tier cities in the People’s Republic of China (PRC), where the government encouraged public–private partnerships at the municipal level in strengthening access to safe and reliable water supply. Phase 2 extended the scope further to include the surrounding semi-urban and rural areas of target cities to address the urban–rural imbalance in water access and quality. In both projects, ADB provided financing to CWA and its subsidiary holding companies to support their investments in a portfolio of eligible subprojects across the country, with the proceeds applied toward repairing or replacing old pipelines, upgrading water treatment plants, and optimizing network connections. The projects are rated successful overall. The development impact is rated satisfactory based on the following: (i) The contribution to private sector development and ADB strategic development objectives is satisfactory. The key output objective—the efficient operation of water supply facilities at designed performance levels of up to 2 million cubic meters (m3) per day—was substantially met. Phase 1 and phase 2 supported a total of 19 subproject entities that added combined new capacity of about 2.4 million m3 per day, a major increase from CWA’s total capacity of 4.1 million m3 per day prior to ADB’s intervention. The projects have also exceeded the targets on reduction of nonrevenue water (water that is pumped and then lost or unaccounted for because of leaks and other causes). (ii) CWA’s economic performance is rated satisfactory. The recalculated economic internal rates of return (EIRRs) for phase 1 and for phase 2 both exceeded the 10% threshold indicated in the extended annual review report guidelines, as well as the reference social discount rates of 10% used in phase 1 and 12% used in phase 2 and the 9% recommended by ADB’s 2017 Guidelines for the Economic Analysis of Projects. (iii) The projects’ environment, social, health, and safety performance is rated satisfactory. CWA established and updated its environmental and social management system and created a department to oversee its implementation. Based on information gathered during a virtual mission and available documents, CWA has complied with national laws and regulations as well as the applicable provisions under ADB’s Safeguard Policy Statement (2009), with no litigation or grievances outstanding. (iv) The project’s business success is rated satisfactory. CWA has consistently achieved high profit margins and growth rates because of a supportive government policy environment and a well-executed sustainable business strategy of acquiring controlling interests in water service companies run by municipal governments and turning them into efficient operations. iv ADB’s additionality is rated satisfactory. Through the B loans in both phases, ADB secured $300 million of commitments in aggregate from a diverse group of commercial financial institutions. In doing so, ADB successfully attracted private sector capital that CWA otherwise would have had difficulty mobilizing. In terms of nonfinancial additionality, CWA enhanced its environment, health, safety, and social policies as a condition for disbursement of the ADB loans and established a separate department to implement the environmental and social management system. The safeguards best practices adopted by CWA set a benchmark for industry peers to follow. ADB’s investment profitability is rated satisfactory. The interest margins received by ADB were in line with CWA’s credit profile and comparable transactions in the water infrastructure sector.