Sustainability 2013 Social, environmental and financial report

The EPM Group originated from EPM, a company of public nature owned by the Municipality of Medellín, which was incorporated in 1955 to provide the city’s population with public utility services of water supply, electrical power, and telecommunications.

The EPM Group gradually broadened its coverage to 10 municipalities located in the geographical area known as Valle de Aburrá (Aburrá Valley), and it later reached other sub-regions of the State of Antioquia.

Its administrative and budgetary autonomy, its long-term vision, the quality of its services, the talent of its people, and the changes in the Colombian public utility legislation, allowed it to widen its horizon into other national markets, and diversify its business portfolio.

In 2003, the EPM Group started its growth process in the States of Caldas and Quindío, with the acquisition of the share majority in the Caldas Hydroelectric Power Station (CHEC, for its abbreviation in Spanish), and in the Quindío Power Company (EDEQ, from its abbreviation in Spanish), which are located in the Colombian region known as coffee-growing axis.

Also in 2003, the EPM Group carried out its first international transaction by acquiring the share majority of the Panamanian company “Hidroecológica del Teribe,” which is currently building the Bonyic hydroelectric project in that country.

In the regional and national context, the EPM Group operates in several regions of Antioquia with its water supply companies: Aguas de Occidente, Aguas de Oriente, and Aguas de Urabá. In the State of Atlántico, located in the Colombian north coast, the Group owns Aguas de Malambo and, in the State of Chocó (in the border with Panama), it is executing an agreement through its subsidiary Aguas Nacionales, which is also responsible for developing the Bello waste water treatment plant project, in the north of the Aburrá Valley.

In 2009, the EPM Group acquired the electric power companies CENS, in Norte de Santander, and ESSA (in Santander), two Colombian states located to the East of the country. In 2010, it expanded to Central America with the acquisition of DECA II, a corporation that gathers several Guatemalan companies (Eegsa, Comegsa, Trelec, Amesa, Enérgica, Ideamsa, Credieegsa), continuing then in 2011 with Delsur, from El Salvador, and ENSA from Panama.

In 2013, the Group entered the Chilean market with the construction of “Los Cururos” wind farm, and ventured into Mexico with the capitalization of Ticsa, holding company that owns shares in companies that design, build, operate, and start up waste water treatment plants.

Furthermore, it recently expanded its service portfolio to sanitation and solid waste collection, with the acquisition of Empresas Varias de Medellín, Emvarias.

Conclusively, the EPM Group is currently a multi-Latin business group comprising 56 companies, with a clear growth horizon towards the year 2022, focusing on being a reference of operational excellence, reputation and transparency. It also aims at contributing to the well-being and equitable development in the settings where it operates by responsibly and comprehensively providing solutions in the fields of electric power, water supply, sanitation, and information and communication technologies.