Anglian Water’s Regulation Director, Darren Rice, outlines the changes Ofwat needs to make to ensure the water company’s Final Determination is investable and deliverable, following discussions with the regulator on Anglian’s proposed business plan for 2025-2030, saying: "As it stands the allowed return proposed in the Draft Determination will not enable us or the wider sector to attract the necessary debt and equity capital to fund AMP8 investment programmes."

The Environment Agency is progressing work on the £24.8 million Leigh Flood Storage Area expansion and Hildenborough embankment scheme which protect communities in Tonbridge and Hildenborough are at risk of flooding from the River Medway.

Water UK is warning that unless Ofwat changes its approach, equity investors will not provide all the capital the sector needs at AMP8, especially when more attractive investment opportunities are available elsewhere.

Uisce Éireann is investing €19 million-plus in its Adamstown Water Treatment Plant in Waterford – the plant provides over 70% of Waterford’s water supply to customers in the city and county.

Scottish Water is seeking early supply chain interest in two major upcoming tenders with a combined value of up to £7.17 billion for the delivery of civil infrastructure and MEICA projects under the Enterprise model for its regulation periods SR27 and SR33 programme of capital and operational work.

The Drinking Water Quality Regulator for Scotland has flagged up the “deteriorating condition and age” of many of Scottish Water’s assets and concerns that the current scale and pace of investment in the maintenance and replacement of water assets is "simply not sufficient."

The water sector needs to build infrastructure at scale over the coming decades. Ahead of her keynote address to the Water Industry Forum on 25 September, Sharon Darcy, chair of the Linear Infrastructure Planning Panel and an independent non-executive board member at Portsmouth Water, says competing demands with other sectors over allocation of resources means a collaborative approach is vital.

Southern Water has awarded AMP8 contracts for two new Capital Delivery Frameworks with a total value of £3.7 billion to eight companies.

Thames Water says the construction of a proposed new reservoir near Abingdon in Oxfordshire, that will secure the water supply of 15 million people, could support around 1,000 jobs and will provide a welcome boost for the local economy.

Anglian Water has launched its market engagement activityfor the Main Works Contracts for the construction of its £5 billion Lincolnshire & Fens Reservoir Programme.