10 October 2022
Public consultation on proposed location for a new reservoir in Lincolnshire begins 12 October
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
Read more Public consultation on proposed location for a new reservoir in Lincolnshire begins 12 October
10 October 2022
Anglian Water confirms proposed location for a new reservoir in Cambridgeshire
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.
Read more Anglian Water confirms proposed location for a new reservoir in Cambridgeshire
30 August 2022
Anglian Water goes green in Canada
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.
Read more Anglian Water goes green in Canada
01 August 2022
Anglian Water funded all its debt investment through sustainable finance in 2021/22
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.
Read more Anglian Water funded all its debt investment through sustainable finance in 2021/22
01 July 2022
Anglian Water celebrates after impressive wins at Water Industry Awards 2022
Anglian Water is celebrating today after receiving an impressive four awards, and one highly commended nomination, at the prestigious Water Industry Awards last night in Birmingham.
The Water Industry Awards recognise the very best practice from the frontline of the UK water sector with a special focus on innovation and its applicability to the wider industry. Entries are rigorously assessed by an esteemed panel of industry experts, who are looking for evidence of tangible benefits – to customers, to the environment, and to companies themselves.
For the third year in a row, Anglian Water won the Net Zero Carbon Initiative of the Year Award, this time for the launch of its £300 million sustainability-linked bond, in partnership with Barclays Bank, BNP Paribas, ING, JP Morgan and Lloyds Bank. In a water company world first, the bond ties the rate of interest paid to the company’s delivery of its carbon reduction commitments.
Anglian Water was named as the winner of Drinking Water Initiative of the Year for its innovative Slug It Out programme. The programme has achieved a 98 per cent reduction in the pesticide metaldehyde in drinking water across the region, through an engagement programme which saw 100 per cent of farmers in targeted areas get involved.
The company was also awarded the inaugural Groundbreaker Award for its Ruthamford resilience network at Grafham, Rutland and Pitsford reservoirs. The project is an industry first, redirecting the direction of flow along a 26km section of trunk main. This initiative builds resilience and flexible supplies to nearly 900,000 customers served by the company’s Grafham Water reservoir, delivering the project with a 61 per cent carbon reduction and at lower cost to customers than the traditional solution of building a new pipeline.
In collaboration with its partner Samotics, Anglian Water also scooped the Asset Management Initiative of the Year award for its asset health monitoring system SAM4. The solution, built by Netherlands-based technology company Samotics, allows Anglian Water to remotely monitor its water and water recycling assets. This helps prevent unplanned interruptions to supply for customers, save money on customers’ bills by reducing maintenance costs, and save energy.
Twenty-three-year-old Craig Hopkinson, a Sustainability Manager for Anglian Water’s Strategic Pipeline Alliance, was also highly commended in the Rising Star of the Year category at the ceremony.
Overall, the company was shortlisted for a total of 13 awards for 2022. Peter Simpson, Chief Executive of Anglian Water, said following the ceremony, “These wins are a testament to the hard work of our people and partners to deliver forward-thinking, innovative initiatives and projects to the region we serve. We’re absolutely delighted to be named as a leader by a jury of our peers for our approach to the net zero challenge, for driving high standards of drinking water quality, and for how we’ve brought groundbreaking approaches and the latest artificial intelligence technology to the challenges of managing our assets and securing water supplies for the East of England.”
Read more Anglian Water celebrates after impressive wins at Water Industry Awards 2022
15 June 2022
Preliminary announcement of full-year results for the 12 months ended 31 March 2022
Chief Executive Peter Simpson commented:
“These results demonstrate a company committed to delivering in the public interest, driving long-term environmental prosperity and rooted in the communities we serve.
“We’ve seen success in many key areas – delivering Anglian Water’s best-ever performance on our world-class leakage reduction programme, accelerating our £800 million environmental programme right across our region by delivering a cumulative 1,184 schemes since 2020, surpassing our carbon targets and providing £32 million of targeted affordability support for customers facing the cost of living crisis. With almost 325,000 customers helped this year alone, we’ve ringfenced £65 million for 2022/23 and a total of £232 million of affordability support for 2020-2025.
“In our biggest ever single year of capital expenditure, we’ve invested £577.7 million into programmes that will increase our resilience to drought and flood, and support growth, while safeguarding and enhancing the environment. The schemes we are delivering, including the most ambitious smart metering programme in the industry, the creation of a cutting-edge smart water network, and a multitude of abstraction reduction programmes, have enabled us to make sector-leading reductions in the amount of water we take from the environment, protecting precious chalk streams and rivers.
“As part of that investment, we are well underway with delivery of our ground-breaking strategic pipeline - our biggest ever infrastructure programme – to move water around our region to where it’s needed most.
“Amid the successes, it’s been a year of very real challenges. Some of these were universal, including supply chain issues and the ongoing pandemic, but the most notable for us were the knock-on impacts of prolonged flooding in the East of England over the first three months of 2021. Prioritising our customers’ vital services and redeploying resources during that period held back some elements of operational performance in the year that followed. We’ve taken decisive steps to correct our course, which are already delivering positive results.
“The dedication of all my colleagues, day after day, week after week, through this difficult year, has been a stand-out positive. We were particularly thrilled to be awarded Utility of the Year 2021 by Utility Week, our sector’s highest accolade – a welcome and timely reminder that this is a purpose-driven company with a reputation for excellence.
“As we head into the third year of AMP7 (2020-2025) I remain confident that our long-term trajectory is a positive one.”
Overall highlights
· Largest ever single year programme of capital investment completed on schedule: £577.7 million invested in the East of England in 2021/22 (31 March 2021: £447.0 million), including £109 million in abstraction reduction to protect chalk streams and rivers; £68.1 million for climate resilience schemes and £63.1 million to address population growth.
· Accelerated £800 million environmental programme delivery well ahead of schedule: cumulative total of 1,184 schemes delivered since 2020, including investment in storm tanks, event duration monitors and bathing water quality. As part of the programme we are today announcing the UK’s largest ever programme of new wetlands. More than 25 new natural treatment wetlands modelled on award-winning Ingoldisthorpe blueprint will curb the impact of phosphates and nitrates and further improve biodiversity across the region; creation of first three planned to begin early 2023.
· £32 million of tailored support in 2021/22 to customers facing affordability challenges: 324,750 people supported this year and unprecedented £65 million package of support set aside for customers in 2022/23 as the cost of living crisis bites. Our total AMP package extends to £232 million as we seek to fulfil our aim of no customers being in water poverty.
· Net zero carbon programme ahead of schedule: industry-leading 2030 net zero routemap published as company leads the water sector at COP26.
· Challenging year for performance against regulatory commitments resulting in net ODI penalty: Majority on track or ahead of target, including environmental programme delivery, leakage and mains repairs, but targets not met for some key measures including pollutions, flooding and mains bursts, leading to an overall forecast net penalty for 2021/22 of circa £8 million. Across the AMP to date we remain in a net positive position, and anticipate returning to net reward in 2022/23.
· Flow to full treatment: Ofwat and the Environment Agency launched industry-wide investigations in 2021 into compliance with conditions of environmental permits. While the final outcome of these investigations isn’t yet known, we have provided comprehensive information to both regulators and continue to engage positively with them.
· Company financial restructure completed: shareholder injection of more than £1 billion into Anglian Water, reducing gearing to 65 per cent (31 March 2021: 82 per cent).
Click here for the full report
Read more Preliminary announcement of full-year results for the 12 months ended 31 March 2022