10 October 2022 Anglian Water is launching the first phase of public consultation on a proposed new reservoir in Lincolnshire on Wednesday 12 October.  The proposed location for the reservoir confirmed by Anglian last month is an area south-east of Sleaford, about halfway between Grantham and Boston.  The reservoir will supply enough water for around half a million homes, as well as protecting the environment by enabling Anglian to reduce the amount of water taken from rivers and underground aquifers elsewhere in the region. It will also create a new visitor destination, creating new jobs, and wider economic, environmental, leisure and health benefits for the local community.  The project forms part of Anglian’s long term Water Resources Management Plan, and is linked to the wider regional plan led by Water Resources East. These plans look 25 years ahead, with the objective of ensuring the region is resilient to more frequent episodes of drought brought on by climate change, all while improving environmental protection.  Dr Geoff Darch, Water Resources Strategy Manager for Anglian Water said: “This project will build on decades of existing investment in resilient infrastructure – like a 400km strategic pipeline which will move water from the north to the south and east of the region, existing networks of reservoirs and water storage, as well as continuing to help customers to reduce demand and driving down leakage to world leading low levels. But we know, that to keep taps running in the future, we’ll need more water storage in our region, in the form of new reservoirs.”  The plan for new reservoirs has been developing over the last 10 years, with the water company now ready to share the findings of a detailed site selection study in the autumn, in what will be the first of a multi-phase consultation on the proposals.  Geoff added: “This week (12 October) a formal public consultation process will begin giving communities and wider stakeholders the opportunity to have their say and to help shape the development of the design of the reservoir and inform the economic, social, and environmental opportunities it could create for the local area.  “We know the effect on those impacted by our proposals including homeowners, landowners and the nearby community because we’ve already been speaking to those most directly affected, to give them the opportunity to ask us any questions about what this might mean for them.  “We are committed to working with everyone as the project develops and want to hear all views on our emerging proposals. Our proposals go beyond just building a new reservoir, we will create new habitats for wildlife and places for people and create great natural places to explore, and exciting new leisure facilities for people to enjoy. The reservoir will help secure water supplies for future generations, in Lincolnshire and across the wider Anglian region, so we can address the challenges of a changing climate, environmental protection and population growth.  Together with a panel of expert partners, Anglian Water has been undertaking a wide range of assessments to identify potential locations for the reservoir. That includes considering impacts on people and communities, the needs of the environment, landscape, existing water sources, engineering requirements, flood protection and many other factors. The work has also considered what opportunities the reservoir could create for local communities and the wider region.  The initial consultation will run from 12 October until the 21 December. As part of this consultation Anglian has provided a very early concept design for the reservoir to help stimulate thought and discussion. It shows some of the potential features they hope to include in the reservoir like wildlife areas, recreation and water sports, green infrastructure like cycleways and renewable energy, and others. This will be developed further as the project progresses taking account of everyone’s feedback.  Further information on the reservoirs and how to get involved can be found at: www.lincsreservoir.co.uk 

10 October 2022 First phase of public consultation begins on 12 October.  Anglian Water has confirmed today the proposed location for a new reservoir in the Cambridgeshire Fens situated north of Chatteris near the villages of Doddington and Wimblington.  The reservoir will supply enough water for around a quarter of a million homes, as well as protecting the environment by enabling a reduction in the amount of water taken from rivers and underground aquifers elsewhere in the region. It will also create a new visitor destination, creating new jobs, and wider economic, environmental, leisure and health benefits for the local community.  The reservoir is being developed in partnership with Cambridge Water and a formal public consultation period will begin on Wednesday (12 October).  The announcement comes after one of the driest summers on record, comparable to 1976. This saw many water companies implementing hosepipe bans to conserve water supplies. Anglian Water was able to avoid implementing a hosepipe ban for its customers because of the significant investment it has put into reducing leakage, increasing metering and adding resilience to the water supply system over many decades, despite operating in a region that is the driest in the country, and one of the fastest growing.   The project forms part of both Anglian’s and Cambridge Water’s long term Water Resources Management Plans and is linked to the wider regional plans led by Water Resources East. These plans look 25 years ahead, with the objective of ensuring the region is resilient to more frequent episodes of drought brought on by climate change, all while improving environmental protection.   Dr Geoff Darch, Water Resources Strategy Manager for Anglian Water said: “This project will build on decades of existing investment in resilient infrastructure – like a 400km strategic pipeline which will move water from the north to the south and east of the region, existing networks of reservoirs and water storage, as well as continuing to help customers to reduce demand and driving down leakage to world leading low levels. But we know, that to keep taps running in the future, we’ll need more water storage in our region, in the form of new reservoirs.”  After detailed work between Anglian Water working in partnership with Cambridge Water,  the findings of a detailed site selection study will be shared as part of the consultation beginning next week.   Geoff added: “Following a thorough and multi-stage site selection process, assessing a wide range of criteria, we have now identified the best performing location for a new reservoir.  “We know the effect on those impacted by our proposals including homeowners, landowners and the nearby community because we’ve already been speaking to those most directly affected. We wanted to give them the opportunity to ask us any questions about what this might mean for them, before publicising the information more widely.  We are committed to working with everyone as the project develops and want to hear all views on our emerging proposals.  “The new reservoir will store more water so it’s always on tap when we need it, meeting the challenges of a changing climate and a growing population. It will mean less water is taken from sensitive sources, such as chalk streams, helping us to protect and restore the environment.   “Our vision for the project goes beyond just building a reservoir. We want to create a place where water, people and nature come together.  That means creating space for wildlife, such as wetlands, alongside enabling new recreational and educational activities and natural places for people to explore. It also means creating new jobs and providing opportunities for local businesses and tourism.  “A formal consultation process will begin on 12 October, open for 10 weeks, and we encourage communities and wider stakeholders to have their say and to help shape the development of the design of the reservoir and inform the economic, social, and environmental opportunities it could create for the local area.”  Together with a panel of expert partners, the two water companies have been undertaking a wide range of assessments to identify potential locations for the reservoir. That includes considering impacts on people and communities, the needs of the environment, landscape, existing water sources, engineering requirements, flood protection and many other factors.  The initial consultation will run from 12 October until the 21 December.  As part of this consultation a very early concept design for the reservoir has been provided to help stimulate thought and discussion. It shows some of the potential features they hope to include in the reservoir like wildlife areas, recreation and water sports, green infrastructure like cycleways and renewable energy, and others. This will be developed further as the project progresses taking account of feedback from the consultation.  Further information on the reservoirs and how to get involved can be found at www.fensreservoir.co.uk. 

30 August 2022 Anglian Water issues £225m green bond to fund UK's biggest ever drought resilience project. Anglian Water has become the first UK company to issue a corporate green bond in the Canadian ‘maple’ bond market. It’s another first in financial history for the water company and its sustainable finance leadership.  The C$350 million bond raised will specifically fund Anglian Water’s Strategic Pipeline Alliance (SPA) which is delivering a brand new network of hundreds of kilometres of large-scale interconnecting pipelines to move water to drier areas of our region, alongside other future resilience projects identified by Anglian Water. SPA is the biggest infrastructure programme in Anglian Water’s history and one of the largest infrastructure projects in the UK. On completion, the outcome will be improved the climate resilience for water supplies across the Anglian region. Crucially, flexibility in moving water more freely around the region helps improve resilience to droughts and enables the company to reduce abstraction from the environment in water-stressed areas. Reducing abstraction is one of the most important contributions to protecting the environment. This year’s driest July on record since the 1911 and the driest summer since 1976 highlights the importance of such schemes that ensure resilience to drought for future generations and support customers and businesses, including critical industries such as food production. Anglian Water’s Group Treasurer, Jane Pilcher, said: “The impacts of climate change are acutely impacting the water industry in the UK, and the world over.  Ours is the driest region in the UK and particularly vulnerable to climate change. Therefore reducing our carbon emissions and adapting to the climate emergency is embedded in everything we do. Spend on resilience to climate change and environmental protection is vitally important.  This focus is why 100 per cent of our debt raised in 2021/22 was sustainable finance.” Anglian Water’s capital investment is financed by sustainable debt finance as well as through shareholders, supported by stable regulatory environmental. Jane added: “By holding ourself accountable to the green bond principles we are delivering enhanced environmental and social benefits. “The Maple bond market is a stable and growing sustainable finance market, so for us it’s presented an opportunity to continue our sustainable financing strategy.” Anglian recently published its 2022 Sustainable Finance Impact Report consolidating its financial and sustainability performance in one place as part of its Environmental and Social Governance (ESG) commitments – closely linked with its Purpose – recognising that long-term sustainable performance relies on an understanding of the interdependency between financial, social and environmental factors. The report goes beyond just reporting carbon emission reductions and showcases SPA as well as Anglian’s WINEP Environmental Programme to give investors clarity on how their investment is helping bring social and environmental prosperity to the Anglian Water region. In 2017, Anglian issued the first ever public utility sector Sterling (GBP) Green Bond and last year, it took assurance standards to a new level by becoming the first water company in the world to issue a sustainability-linked bond tied to net zero commitments. This is the eleventh green bond issued by Anglian Water. In 2021/22 all its debt investment was derived through sustainable finance, enabling the company to save more than 180,000 tonnes of carbon through Green Bond-funded projects, which also improved resilience to climate change, water quality at source, and biodiversity.

01 August 2022 Anglian Water issued more than £1.8 billion of sustainable debt instruments by the end of 2021, according to its recently published Sustainable Finance Impact Report 2022.  Anglian Water was the first major utility to issue a Green Bond, with its £250 million bond in 2017, and has since become the first water company in the world to issue a sustainability-linked bond tied to net zero commitments, in July 2021. It plans to invest more than £3 billion in its region, which covers the East of England and Hartlepool, by 2025.  All of the company’s debt investment in 2021/22 was raised as sustainable finance, enabling the company to save more than 180,000 tonnes of carbon through Green Bond-funded projects, which also improved resilience to climate change, water quality at source, and biodiversity.  This includes the vast majority of its £800 million Water Industry National Environment Programme (WINEP) for 2020-25, which was partially funded by a recent £25.5 million Green Bond issuance, with more sustainable finance instruments planned over the coming years. The company’s WINEP focuses on protecting the East of England’s much-loved rivers, including many precious chalk streams, as well as its wider environment. Anglian Water and its alliances have so far delivered 1,184 schemes through the WINEP, including efforts to develop innovative phosphorus reduction methods, reduce abstraction from watercourses, and protect and increase local biodiversity.  Sustainable debt also helps fund the company’s efforts to respond to its acute water resources challenge. The East of England is the driest region in the UK, receiving on average a third less rainfall than the rest of the country. It is also one of the country’s fastest growing regions, and its dry, flat landscape means it is particularly vulnerable to the growing impacts of climate change. Hundreds of kilometres of new interconnecting water pipelines, partially funded by sustainable finance, will keep taps running and toilets flushing across the company’s region for years to come by moving water from wetter parts of the region to those in need of more water.  For more information, please contact the Press Office on 0871 677 0123.  About Anglian Water Anglian Water supplies drinking water to 4.3 million customers across the East of England and collects and treats used water from over 6 million people. We operate within the largest geographical region of England and Wales.  Water is our business. It’s our job to handle it with care and balance the needs of our customers with those of the environment around us.  Our ethos is ‘Love Every Drop’, because it’s what we do. Every drop of water is precious, and we believe it’s everyone’s responsibility to look after it. We’re constantly discovering new ways to keep ahead of a changing world, by planning for the future, and exploring new ideas to meet our customers’ individual needs today and tomorrow.