During AMP7 the company will invest £55 million upgrading its two largest treatment works at Seedy Mill and Hampton Loade. The government funding of approximately £10 million allowed the company to deliver a ceramic solution at Hampton Loade over a traditional water treatment process.
The upgraded ceramic process, which has been trialled by the company since November 2019, relies on less energy intensive processes that will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by approximately 1,000 tonnes annually.
The company said the filtration system will be the largest deployment of its kind in the UK and the first retrofit of its kind in an existing water treatment works.
Hampton Loade will process 210 million litres of water daily to serve 700,000 customers.
Andy Willicott, managing director at South Staffs Water, said: “This is an ambitious and important project for us as it will ensure that we deliver clean and sustainable water supplies for our customers, for our communities and for the environment we all rely on and enjoy.”
Ofwat approved the plans in May as part of the Green Recovery Challenge that encouraged regulated companies to revisit their investment programmes for AMP7 and submit proposals that could add environmental and societal benefits. These included submissions to help companies achieve the Water UK coordinated goal to reach net zero by 2030.
As well as reducing emissions, the upgrades to treatment works will enhance water quality and improve operational flexibility and resilience.