01342 332057
info@utilityweek.co.uk
Anglian Water has announced plans for a £27 million upgrade to water and sewerage infrastructure in Peterborough including £10 million on storm tanks to increase storage capacity in the network. The company said it is part of a £100 million spending drive to grow capacity across its region in the east of England to relieve the use of storm overflows during times of heavy rainfall.
1 year ago
In our latest round-up of the weekend’s national news coverage, Moody’s estimates that water companies are planning to spend £272 billion on upgrading sewage infrastructure over the next 25 years. Elsewhere, experts warn that new UK electric car charging laws do not solve all issues and Southern Water apologises for floods on the south coast.
Industrial action is on the horizon at both Scottish Water and Thames Water following disputes about pay. Workers at Scottish have already voted overwhelmingly to strike, while Thames workers are due to vote on a final pay offer negotiated with union bosses. GMB – which represents workers at both water companies – said that it doesn't think a better deal can be achieved through further negotiations with Thames Water, and a union spokesperson added that strike action is likely to follow if members vote against the deal.
The Environment Agency will transform how it regulates the water sector by “significantly” increasing its inspections to ensure compliance by companies. Chair of the organisation, Alan Lovell, said the regulator will be investing in "new specialist officers, data and tools which will significantly increase the time we are able to spend on regulating the water industry”.
Flexibility in water regulation is required to ensure companies can react to evolving consumer expectations such as sewer overflows, Susan Davy, head of Pennon has argued. She noted that overflows, which politicians and regulators made an investment priority for water and sewerage companies, were not being talked about five years ago when plans for PR19 were being made.
Thames is dedicating £500k through its Trust Fund initiative to support financially vulnerable households in London and the Thames Valley. This includes £400k in grants to debt and money advice services across the region and £100k to a household pot that customer service employees can direct billpayers to.
Financing of water company plans for 2025-30 is reliant on huge sums of equity being put forward by investors at a time when returns are squeezed and the sector faces myriad performance challenges. For these reasons attracting the investment needed may be tougher than previous AMPs, analysts have warned.
Welsh Water will spend £41 million replacing a faulty sewage treatment plant, upgrading four other sites and reducing the number of spills from sewer overflows in south west Wales. The work is needed to address "significant compliance issues" identified by regulator Natural Resources Wales (NRW) at Cardigan.
Shareholders in Thames Water are unlikely to see a dividend payment before 2030, interim co-chief executive Cathryn Ross has said. The former Ofwat boss also bemoaned a “backwards looking and risk averse” regulatory regime and a lack of co-ordination between the various bodies overseeing the sector.