KKR and XPV Water Partners Form New Platform to Promote Water Quality

KKR, in partnership with XPV Water Partners, today announced the formation of a wastewater treatment platform with the goal of creating the leading provider of end-to-end nutrient management solutions for municipal and industrial wastewater treatment facilities. Through the foundational acquisitions of Environmental Operating Solutions, Inc. ("EOSi”) and Nexom, Inc. – two providers of nutrient management technologies – the platform aims to address nutrient contamination of water globally by building a diversified and growing portfolio of leading solutions.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20191203005263/en/

Over the past 50 years, agricultural runoff from increased use of fertilizers, stormwater runoff from more development and rainfall, and wastewater effluent from municipal and industrial plants have combined to produce a concentration of nutrients in downstream water bodies. Excess nutrients can cause eutrophication and subsequent toxic algae blooms, resulting in loss of aquatic life, human health concerns and other environmental and economic damage. The Environmental Protection Agency has named nutrient pollution "one of America’s most widespread, costly and challenging environmental problems,” with 53% of rivers, 71% of lake acres, 79% of estuary square miles and 98% of great lakes shoreline miles classified as impaired.

"We are pleased to be working with XPV to scale solutions to water pollution. XPV is a thought leader in the water sector with deep connectivity across key stakeholders. Together, we are focused on expanding this platform to promote water quality,” said Robert Antablin and Ken Mehlman, Co-Heads of KKR Global Impact.

"The challenges associated with nutrient management are compounding every year. We view the formation of this platform as a game-changing next step in our strategy: to build a global end-to-end supplier of the products and services that municipal and industrial operators need to solve nutrient management challenges. We look forward to continuing this journey with the EOSi and Nexom teams, alongside KKR, to help drive the next phase of growth of this exciting new platform,” said David Henderson, Partner, XPV Water Partners.

For KKR, the investment is part of the Firm’s Global Impact strategy, which is focused on identifying and investing behind companies whose core business models provide commercial solutions that contribute measurable progress toward one or more of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. By reducing pollution and improving water quality, this newly created platform will deliver measurable progress toward achieving the United Nations SDG #6, ensuring the availability and sustainable management of clean water.

The platform is the fifth investment out of KKR’s Global Impact strategy, following investments in Burning Glass, KnowBe4, Ramky Enviro Engineers Limited and Barghest Building Performance. Over the last decade, KKR has been a leader in driving and protecting value throughout the firm’s private markets portfolio through thoughtful Environmental, Social and Governance ("ESG”) management, as well as measuring and reporting on performance to the public and investors.

About KKR

KKR is a leading global investment firm that manages multiple alternative asset classes, including private equity, energy, infrastructure, real estate and credit, with strategic partners that manage hedge funds. KKR aims to generate attractive investment returns for its fund investors by following a patient and disciplined investment approach, employing world-class people, and driving growth and value creation with KKR portfolio companies. KKR invests its own capital alongside the capital it manages for fund investors and provides financing solutions and investment opportunities through its capital markets business. References to KKR's investments may include the activities of its sponsored funds. For additional information about KKR & Co. Inc. (NYSE: KKR), please visit KKR's website at www.kkr.com and on Twitter @KKR_Co.

About XPV Water Partners

XPV Water Partners is comprised of experienced water entrepreneurs, operators, and investment professionals dedicated to make a difference in the water industry. XPV invests in and actively supports water-focused companies to enable them to grow and deliver value for all stakeholders. XPV manages over $400 million USD in investment capital from institutional investors in North America, Europe and Asia. For more information, visit www.xpvwaterpartners.com and on Twitter @XPVwater.

About EOSi

Based in Bourne, Massachusetts, EOSi provides non-hazardous and environmentally sustainable glycerin-based chemicals ("MicroC”) and technical services for biological nutrient removal applications in wastewater systems. EOSi offers superior product quality, technical support and a high level of service to municipal and industrial wastewater treatment plant operators.

About Nexom

Based in Winnipeg, Canada, Nexom provides proven technologies that enable new and existing wastewater treatment plants to meet their nutrient reduction targets. Nexom has developed or acquired seven biological or filtration based technologies, all of which are used to treat wastewater to meet exceedingly strict discharge standards. Nexom benefits from a strong portfolio of products with technical differentiation in certain use cases and a portfolio of references (700+ successful installations).

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20191203005263/en/