(by Karma Loveday) MPs piled pressure on the Government to take action on Thames Water, at one of the first Parliamentary debates of the year on 6 January. Led by the Liberal Democrats, the debate hauled up a catalogue of indictments about the troubled company. These included on the familiar operational themes of leakage, pollutions, sewer flooding, poor service and price increases — as well as the now equally familiar financial themes of high debt, high costs, emergency fun

(by Verity Mitchell) The economic regulator of publicly owned Scottish Water, the Water Industry Commission for Scotland (WICS), has published its Annual Report for 2024-2025. During the year it published its methodology for the Strategic Review of Charges (SRC27), which will determine investment levels and customer charges for water and sewerage services from 2027 to 2033. It published detailed business plan guidance and comprehensive data tables, providing a baseline agains

(by Verity Mitchell) Southern Water has confirmed that it has secured additional equity from funds managed by Macquarie Asset Management. The investors, as pledged, have now committed a further £245m of equity, taking the equity committed since July 2025 to £900m, and the total invested since Southern Water was purchased in 2021 to £2.55bn. Over that period, no dividend has been paid - and none will be paid before 2030. This investment programme includes, amongst other things

(by Karma Loveday) The latest base costs modelling from the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) would leave the companies challenging their price settlements – and the wider water sector if it was applied across the board – with lower allowances than Ofwat’s final determination (FD) and the CMA’s October provisional determination (PD). The CMA published a Base costs modelling working paper last week, which is open for consultation until 7 January. The outcome was: “Our u

(by Karma Loveday) Retailers have called on Ofwat to correct or withdraw a statement in the Business Customer Insight Survey 2025 that they see as “misleading and disingenuous”. The issue concerns the statement that: “In 2025, just 15% of all business customers were satisfied (net) with the water industry compared to 60% in 2020 and 64% in 2019.” In a letter to Ofwat responding to the second consultation on the Retail Exit Code, the UK Water Retailer Council (UKWRC), represen

(by Karma Loveday) By deploying a combination of interventions, non-household customers could be helped to save more water than specified in Environment Act targets. That’s according to a report from Baringa, commissioned by the Strategic Panel and Retailer Wholesaler Group’s (RWG) Water Efficiency Subgroup on how to incentivise business customers to cut demand. This is part of a suite of work from the RWG on a Water Efficiency Roadmap.   Baringa identified eight actions and

(by Karma Loveday) Following its September consultation, Northern Ireland’s Utility Regulator has confirmed its approach to PC28 — Northern Ireland Water’s fifth price control since the government-owned company was set up in 2007. The review, for 2028-2033, will set all the usual price review elements, including outputs to be delivered and revenue allowed. In the absence of domestic water bills, NI Water is currently funded 70% by government subsidy, 20% by business charges,

(by Karma Loveday) Developments blocked by nutrient pollution in waterways will be the first focus of the new Environmental Delivery Plans (EDPs) being introduced alongside the Nature Restoration Fund. This was confirmed by the Government last week as the Planning and Infrastructure Bill gained Royal Assent. An Implementation Plan published as the Act became law set out the rollout route for the Nature Restoration Fund, which will culminate in the delivery of the first EDPs i

(by Karma Loveday) Consumer Scotland has called for new measures to alleviate the potential rise in water poverty in Scotland over the next few years, as well as longer-term solutions. The statutory customer watchdog awaits Scottish Water’s final business plan for 2027-33, but noted that the draft bills would rise annually by up to 4% plus CPI inflation across the charging period. That would mean bills increase in real terms by as much as 26.5% across the six years and would

(by Karma Loveday) Ofwat has confirmed that Wessex Water will fund an £11m enforcement package after the company failed to operate, maintain and upgrade its wastewater network adequately. The decision follows a November consultation.    Thames Water has agreed a five-year Power Purchase Agreement with RWE to source renewable electricity from an onshore wind farm in Scotland. This will supply up to 15% of Thames Water’s power requirement and contribute to its use of 100% rene