Mitsui & Co.

What is it? The infrastructure business division of the listed Japanese trading house which is involved in power generation, water supply, energy and transportation.

What has it done? In March 2008, a Mitsui joint venture was awarded the contract to develop the 286,400m3/d and 2730 MW Ras Laffan C IWPP in Qatar, cementing the company's position as one of the leading developers of independent water and power plants in the Gulf. Two months later, Thai Tap Water - in which Mitsui holds a 26% stake - was successfully floated on the Bangkok stock exchange. July saw Mitsui expand its global water offering by buying Atlatec SA (formerly Earth Tech Mexico) from AECOM.

What makes it special?

• The Atlatec deal will allow Mitsui to take a more pro-active approach to water contracts. While its past experience was related to project structuring, financing and EPC work, it now has the capacity to engineer and operate plants, allowing it to actively pursue DB, DBO and DBFO opportunities in Asia, the Middle East and Latin America.

• Mitsui's decision to retain a strategic 26% stake in Thailand's largest private tap water provider is a shrewd investment tactic - tap water consumption is increasing in Thailand as local consumers make the shift away from deteriorating groundwater sources. Thai Tap's shares survived the contagion which hit the majority of Asian water stocks last year, and continue to outperform.

• Mitsui's achievements in the water sector in 2008 show a company with a truly global reach. Active management of its business portfolio has shown that Mitsui has its finger firmly on the pulse of the global water market, and its achievements in 2008 position it well to take advantage of future opportunities around the globe.