Dwr Cymru Welsh Water has unveiled a £2 billion project to improve it water pipes and sewage network and to reduce the risk of flooding.
The not-for-profit company is asking its 3 million customers in Wales, Herefordshire and Deeside for their views on the proposals.
The work will take place between 2015 and 2021.
The Nelson-based company said feedback from customers will help it decide priorities and before submitting the plan to regulator Ofwat in December 2013.
Welsh Water’s £2bn investment plans include:
- Replacing 400km of water mains in Herefordshire, Cardiff and Newport areas to reduce risk of discoloured water to over 550,000 customers.
- Improving water treatment works to ensure even better water quality for customers with major investments at works serving Llandudno and Colwyn Bay, and the Rhondda valleys.
- Building a new pipeline between south east and south west Wales to provide more secure supplies for customers and to protect areas that could be vulnerable to water shortages during exceptionally dry periods.
- Increasing the amount of renewable energy generated by the company to 100GWh – this will be the equivalent of enough energy to power a town the size of Barry and so reducing our need to buy electricity.
- Investing in a new green energy facility in Wrexham which will turn ‘sludge’ (the by-product from the sewerage treatment process) into electricity and reduce our carbon emissions and energy costs.
- Reducing the high risk of flooding at over 200 properties.
- Roll-out the innovative RainScape programme to reduce the risk of flooding from overloaded sewers
The plans were formally launched at an event in the Senedd on Wednesday with Welsh Government Minister for Economy, Science and Transport, Edwina Hart AM.
Ms Hart said: “This is a pivotal time for the water industry both in Wales and more widely across the UK. It is essential that our water and sewerage services are managed sustainably in order to secure the best possible social, economic and environmental outcomes for the citizens of Wales both for the present and into the future.
“I would like to encourage people to take part in this consultation and have their say on how they want Welsh Water to prioritise its investment for future years.”
Chris Jones, Dwr Cymru Welsh Water’s Executive Finance Director, said: “Forward planning is vital for our company. We face many challenges, including adapting our business to climate change, meeting tighter environmental standards, maintaining our infrastructure and ensuring that we’re able to meet the needs of businesses and a growing population for decades to come.
“Although we can’t do everything and have to make difficult decisions, our focus is on striking the right balance. We want to invest to maintain and further improve our services for our domestic and business customers, and protect the environment, but we must also keep our bills affordable and help our more disadvantaged customers.
“We hope to see as many customers as possible at one of our community events this summer. By having their say, either in person or online, they’ll be able to influence where our investment will be focused, what problems it will address and what benefits will be delivered.”
Good stuff.