Anglian Water has laid out its largest ever investment for a single year with a focus on climate resilience, driving down leakage and climate resilience in 2022-23.
The company will spend £680 million over the year, including large sums on preparing its region for the effects of climate change and population growth.
“This is the biggest investment we’ve ever made in a 12-month period and it comes at an incredibly challenging time for everyone,” Anglian’s wholesale director Pete Holland said. “Our customers can be reassured that we invest every pound in doing the right thing now and for the long term. We believe our responsibility is to them, their communities and to the environment we look after.”
Funding will include £157 million towards protecting and enhancing the environment by removing chemicals from wastewater and restoring rivers and chalk stream habitats.
As part of environmental investment, Anglian will spend £52 million to tackle combined sewer overflows (CSOs) by adding more storage capacity in its networks for heavy rainfall. It will install more monitors across the sewer network to prioritise remedying the highest spilling CSOs first.
A further £124 million will be spent this year on the 500km pipeline to transfer water between Lincolnshire and East Anglia to boost resilience of future supplies and reduce the amount of water abstracted.
The company will dedicate £31 million to water efficiency, including rolling out upgraded water meters across it region, and £11 million to continue driving down leakage.
Bills are set to rise 5% in the third year of AMP7 to £454.
In Ofwat’s final determination in December 2019, Anglian’s average bills were limited by the regulator to £386 before inflation. However, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) permitted the company more money after it appealed on the grounds that its customers wanted to see investment over bill cuts.
“We know this year is going to be tough for our customers, as the cost of living increases for us all,” Holland added. “That’s why we’re committed to keeping water bills as low as possible while still preparing our region to meet the significant challenges of a rapidly changing climate, and growing population.”
The company said it will commit £28 million to supporting customers, which will include extending its WaterCare Service of financial support to more than 300,000 households and continuing to grow its priority services register (PSR).