(by Verity Mitchell) Ofwat has published a report, Economic impact of water supply infrastructure investment , which argues that investment in major capital projects in water supply drives economic growth. Working with KPMG, Ofwat set out to prove how the proposed £50bn investment in strategic water resource options will provide economic benefit to England and Wales by quantifying the Gross Value Added (GVA) of water supply investment. Across the UK economy, GVA analysis prov

(by Karma Loveday) The utilities sector is facing a potential mass exodus of strategic communications talent across organisations — including suppliers, networks, regulators and trade bodies — at a time when effective public engagement, transparency and trust-building have never been more critical. That’s according to new research from specialist recruitment firm Murray McIntosh. Its Strategic Communications Report 2026 collated the results of a survey of 3,200+ professional

(by Karma Loveday) Source control measures such as product bans and phase-outs, alongside upgrades to the treatment process, are successfully reducing hazardous substances in water systems. That’s according to latest findings from UK Water Industry Research’s (UKWIR) Chemical Investigations Programme (CIP), which is a long-running industry/regulator monitoring and research partnership. The CIP3 Trend Monitoring Project (2020-2025) showed downward trends in concentrations for

(by Verity Mitchell) Ofwat has proposed a £44m enforcement order against Welsh Water. This followed an investigation that concluded that Welsh Water has breached its legal obligations to adequately maintain and upgrade its wastewater network and treatment plants. Ofwat also found that the senior management and board had failed to ensure that assets were performing satisfactorily, and that there have been insufficient monitoring processes and oversight in place. The penalty wi

(by Verity Mitchell) EQT, a Swedish private equity group, has bought a 42% stake in Kelda Holdings, the Jersey-registered parent company of Yorkshire Water, at an undisclosed premium to regulatory capital value. The deal saw Wharfedale Hong Kong (managed by Deutsche Bank’s DWS division) offloading its 23.37% stake, and Gateway Infrastructure Hong Kong (managed by Corsair Capital), selling its 30.32%. Both had been looking to sell their positions — which combined could have

(by Karma Loveday) The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has doled out a tougher final settlement than mooted in its October Provisional Determinations for the five firms disputing Ofwat’s PR24 decisions. Base allowances have been cut, but this has been offset by a higher rate of return and enhancement increases. Across the five companies, the CMA allowed additional revenue of £463m, equating to an average bill rise of 2.2% on top of the 24% Ofwat allowed. This is just

(by Karma Loveday) Phosphorous removal at sewage treatment works is having a positive effect on the ecological health of rivers, according to a study from the Environment Agency and University of Stirling . Reduced phosphorus levels and improved ecological indicators were both strongly associated with rivers in eutrophic sensitive areas, where significant investment in phosphorus removal at sewage treatment works has occurred. Thirty of 38 sites showed dual improvement. Busi

(by Karma Loveday) A new report has recommended that additional regulation is considered to support the critical and emerging data centre sector, while safeguarding water resources. The WRc research, funded by the Strategic Panel’s Market Improvement Fund, advocated the following: A reporting framework including policy interventions to enable easier benchmarking of data centre water use. This would consist of mandatory, centralised reporting of (at least a subset of) the metr

(by Verity Mitchell) Anglian Water Services Financing has confirmed that it will discontinue the engagement of S&P as one of its external credit rating agencies providing ratings coverage. This is subject to the successful redemption in full of £200m of guaranteed bonds due in 2029, which included a requirement to maintain rating coverage from S&P. The proposed discontinuance follows an internal review of the resource demands involved in supporting a third rating. The compan

(by Karma Loveday) Microsoft is about to launch a free digital skills training programme for women in the water sector. TechHer for Water is part of Microsoft’s National Skills Initiative and is delivered in partnership with the UK Government. All women in water are invited to sign up for five 90-minute online sessions running on dates throughout April. These cover: Cloud AI Power Platform Copilot and Agents Security essentials Microsoft said the programme is “by women, for