Anglian Water invests €730 million in driest part of UK
Anglian Water has unveiled a £630million (€730 million) investment programme for the year ahead.
The largest investment planned for a single year will be spent across the entire East of England, which is the driest and one of the fastest-growing parts of the country.
The funds will be ploughed into areas of work specifically aimed at preparing the region to meet the urgent challenges of climate change and population growth.
The company’s largest ever five-year business plan, which began in 2020, outlined ground-breaking schemes specifically designed to tackle this challenge. The proposals were wholeheartedly endorsed by customers.
This is the second year of that cycle and will see boots-on-the-ground as this resilience work continues, including:
• £59 million (€68 million) to begin the first stages of the region’s biggest water infrastructure project for a generation, creating hundreds of kilometres of new interconnecting pipelines and associated infrastructure to move water around the region wherever and whenever needed. This is part of an ambitious new investment in resilience to keep taps running and minimise the impacts of future droughts.
• £30 million (€34 million) will be spent on the continuation of the company’s programme to roll out over 700,000 upgraded water meters across the region, helping customers to understand their water usage and identifying leaks in customer’s homes to better meet demand for water in the future
• £133 million (€154 million) to protect and enhance the natural environment by removing chemicals such as phosphates and ammonia from used water, and working with organisations like The Rivers Trusts on river restoration projects to protect some of the region’s unique chalk stream habitats.
Peter Simpson, CEO for Anglian Water, said: “Never has the provision of clean, safe water been critical for health and hygiene as since the beginning of the pandemic. Our teams have worked tirelessly as key workers to keep taps running, toilets flushing and drains draining.
“The average bill of £1.16 per day pays for all the water you need to wash your hands, to drink and to cook, and for every flush of the loo and cycle of the dishwasher. But more than that, it helps us build and look after a water network that protects both the environment and our customers while looking ahead to future challenges too."
The largest investment planned for a single year will be spent across the entire East of England, which is the driest and one of the fastest-growing parts of the country.
The funds will be ploughed into areas of work specifically aimed at preparing the region to meet the urgent challenges of climate change and population growth.
The company’s largest ever five-year business plan, which began in 2020, outlined ground-breaking schemes specifically designed to tackle this challenge. The proposals were wholeheartedly endorsed by customers.
This is the second year of that cycle and will see boots-on-the-ground as this resilience work continues, including:
• £59 million (€68 million) to begin the first stages of the region’s biggest water infrastructure project for a generation, creating hundreds of kilometres of new interconnecting pipelines and associated infrastructure to move water around the region wherever and whenever needed. This is part of an ambitious new investment in resilience to keep taps running and minimise the impacts of future droughts.
• £30 million (€34 million) will be spent on the continuation of the company’s programme to roll out over 700,000 upgraded water meters across the region, helping customers to understand their water usage and identifying leaks in customer’s homes to better meet demand for water in the future
• £133 million (€154 million) to protect and enhance the natural environment by removing chemicals such as phosphates and ammonia from used water, and working with organisations like The Rivers Trusts on river restoration projects to protect some of the region’s unique chalk stream habitats.
Peter Simpson, CEO for Anglian Water, said: “Never has the provision of clean, safe water been critical for health and hygiene as since the beginning of the pandemic. Our teams have worked tirelessly as key workers to keep taps running, toilets flushing and drains draining.
“The average bill of £1.16 per day pays for all the water you need to wash your hands, to drink and to cook, and for every flush of the loo and cycle of the dishwasher. But more than that, it helps us build and look after a water network that protects both the environment and our customers while looking ahead to future challenges too."
