(by Karma Loveday) It was widely reported before the Easter break, following a story in the FT, that Ofwat was poised to accept undertakings from Thames Water creditors that would trade off a commitment to invest in the business and improve longer-term performance, for Ofwat’s agreement to waive new fines for the rest of AMP8. If struck, and such deal would be subject to public consultation.  South East Water ’s resilience challenges surfaced again ahead of Easter, when just

(by Karma Loveday) On 1 April, MOSL launched Phase 1 of the new smart meter data hub. Wholesalers can now enter actual smart meter reads into the hub, and retailers can view, extract and use their customers’ smart meter data. Two interfaces are available: a web portal for submitting, viewing and amending lower volumes of data, and a system-to-system interface for higher volumes of data. Trading parties’ use of the hub is optional during Phase 1. However, its use will become m

(by Karma Loveday) The Environment Agency has reported exceeding its target to complete over 10,000 inspections of water company assets in the 2025/26 year. This is more than double the 4,600 inspections of 2024/25. The Agency said it had uncovered over 3,000 permit condition breaches, leading to “real-world action with over 3,000 individual demands for improvement issued to water companies, including repairing sewage works and upgrading infrastructure”. The watchdog said tha

(by Karma Loveday) Ofwat has published an overview of the combined gated process it and RAPID will now use to oversee and support the Major Water Infrastructure Programme. This consists of 30 projects, each valued at £200m+ totex, and either RAPID’s Strategic Resource Options or projects meeting the criteria for competitive procurement — Direct Procurement for Customers (DPC) or the Specified Infrastructure Project Regulations (SIPR). There are now six gates, each associated

(by Verity Mitchell) Anglian Water has published an update on its AMP8 progress and plans. It expects to commit the highest-ever level of investment in its area during the next financial year: £1.6bn of capital and maintenance expenditure. In the first year, it reported that £1.1bn of investment was delivered. It has commenced more than 1,000 capital delivery schemes, with an additional 500 projects expected to start from April. A total of 315,000 new smart meters were instal

(by Verity Mitchell) Northumbrian Water has confirmed that it has received a £400m equity injection from CKI and KKR to support the company’s £4.5bn investment plans for AMP8. CKI will contribute £300m and KKR £100m, reflecting their respective equity holdings of 75% and 25%.   At 31 March 2025, the Northumbrian Water Group reported debt/RCV of 72.4%, compared to average regulatory gearing across the sector of 67.9%. Fitch, at the time, estimated the Group needed around £300m

(by Karma Loveday) David Hill , Defra’s director general for strategy and water, will now focus on water only. His adjusted role, as director general for water , is in recognition of the volume and significance of Defra’s work on water as the sector is reformed.  The Scottish Government is seeking a new chair for the Water Industry Commission for Scotland. The application window runs until 27 April. Interim WICS chair Ronnie Hinds shared: “We are looking for someone who is p

(by Karma Loveday) Done effectively, AMP8 could mark a turning point in restoring public trust. But rather than focusing solely on infrastructure improvements, the sector should appreciate that accountability, transparency, and prioritising customer concerns will also be important. That’s according to YouGov research for Cavendish Consulting. The headline findings included: Half (52%) of respondents believed that water supply and management across the UK is poor. However, per

(by Verity Mitchell) > Pennon trading at the lower end of market expectations  In its pre-close update ahead of its full-year results for the year ending 31 March 2026, Pennon said EBITDA is expected to increase by c.55% year-on-year, despite weather-related cost pressures and higher costs in the first year of the regulatory cycle. The board expects profitability to be within the range of market expectations for 2025/26, albeit at the lower end. South West Water’s Pollution I

(by Karma Loveday) Project Zero, an Ofwat Innovation Funded project led by Affinity Water to explore the role of new housing developments in supporting water neutrality, has found homes designed to be water efficient can significantly reduce demand. High-efficiency fixtures and appliances such as air-power showers, low flush toilets and water-saving washing machines were found to reduce household consumption by between 40% and 60%, while integrated water reuse systems could c