(by Karma Loveday) Thames Water has invited three consortia to tender for the construction of the White Horse Reservoir in Oxfordshire: • WFH JV: comprising Webuild (JV leader), Hyundai Engineering and Construction and FCC Construccion. • BMV+: Bouygues Travaux Publics (JV leader), J. Murphy & Sons and VolkerFitzpatrick • BBV: Balfour Beatty Civil Engineering (JV leader) and VINCI Construction Grands Projets As the Main Works Contractor, the successful bidder will desig

(by Karma Loveday) The opening ceremony for the International Water Association’s World Water Congress took place in Glasgow yesterday, as the city welcomed over 10,000 global water experts and others to four days of discussions. The Congress theme – Water action: the path to resilience and prosperity – reflects the growing recognition that water is fundamental to economic growth, healthy communities and environmental sustainability. Key areas of focus at the event will be wh

(by Verity Mitchell) Andy Burnham’s proposed changes to the Water Bill have not triggered a revision of sector risk, according to Fitch. The ratings agency’s base case is that sector reforms “will deliver a clearer and better-coordinated framework”. Fitch said it will review the regulatory environment at the start of AMP9. It assumed that reform would leave the central setting of allowances and price controls intact, along with statutory and financeability protections. Moreov

(by Karma Loveday) Environment secretary Angela Eagle will bring forward a strengthened Water Bill, the centrepiece of which will be the removal of the current limits set out in the Water Act 1989 on government ownership of shares in the major water and sewerage companies in England. The exact limits vary by company but are below 3% in each case. In his leader’s speech to the Labour Party conference in Liverpool, prime minister Andy Burnham detailed that: “Where private compa

(by Karma Loveday) Ofwat has approved draft funding to enable a five-fold expansion of the capacity of the Havant Thicket reservoir, and recognised that the forecast operational date needs to be pushed back from 2029 to 2034 to accommodate changes to the original design. Under the regulator’s decision, which is out for consultation until 12 October, the original allowed totex of £339m would be increased to £823m, under the second cost adjustment mechanism (CAM2) to the Havant

(by Karma Loveday) Water-related disruption has caused companies $1.4bn of financial impact, and they anticipate a further hit of almost $400bn from climate disruption costs, regulatory risks and new capex requirements. That is the message from Water, trade and capital: how water is reshaping geopolitics, supply chains and financial risk – analysis of disclosures on water from 6,500 companies from environmental disclosure specialist CDP. $45bn of the $400bn is expected to occ

(by Karma Loveday) Rain alone is a poor predictor of when and where bacterial contamination will hit coastal waters. That’s according to research by Plymouth Marine Laboratory, published in the Marine Pollution Bulletin. The findings challenge assumptions built into existing water quality forecasting, and suggest there is untracked risk to public health from swimming/recreation and shellfish production. The work combined water sampling with advanced computer modelling to tr

(by Karma Loveday) Starting a major desalination plant upgrade forms the keystone of Jersey Water’s business plan for 1 October 2026 to 30 September 2027, the second year of its strategy to 2030. The £26m upgrade will increase the plant’s output by 50%, as part of the company’s adaptation to a changing climate as evidenced by this year’s prolonged hot weather. It marks the company’s biggest investment for 35 years. Other priorities in the plan include continuing preparations

(by Karma Loveday) South Staffordshire Group chief executive Charley Maher will leave the business, and the water sector, at the end of October to take up post as chief executive of Bristol Airport. Mick Horn, currently group chief financial officer, will take on the responsibilities of group CEO alongside his CFO responsibilities while a permanent successor is sought. Barry Hayward, chief commercial officer, will move into the new role of interim chief operating officer. WS

(by Karma Loveday) Thames Water has launched three new initiatives to help businesses save water and money, as it marked the milestone of more than half of all non-household meters in its area now using smart technology. The company is currently fitting around 2,000 business smart meters a month, and has installed over 90,000 smart meters in all to its 170,000 non-household metered customer base. The new initiatives, which together are projected to save 16m litres of water a