Southern Water discussions with a private supplier to import water from Norway are for a “last resort contingency” to deal with possible supply shortages and drought.
The water firm, which has 2.7 million customers in the south east, says the back up plan to tanker in up to 45 million litres of water per day is part of a Water Resources Management Plan (WRMP) where regulators have asked for consideration of all available options to protect the environment and maintain supplies until a new permanent source is available in 2034.
That permanent source is the Hampshire Water Transfer and Water Recycling Project which will be the UK’s first new reservoir in more than 30 years. It is earmarked to be ready for 2034 but Southern Water says: “Until this is live, particularly from 2030-2034, we anticipate a risk of reduced level of resilience to drought.”
The contingency for sea-tankering the water from Norway would involve UK private company Extreme Drought Resilience Service (EDRS) shipping ‘cartons’ from Norway if required.
Tim McMahon, Southern Water’s Managing Director for Water, said: “We put less water into supply now than we did 30 years ago and measures like reducing leakage have enabled us to keep pace so far with population growth and climate change.
“As we work to take less water from our chalk streams and build new reservoirs like Havant Thicket in Hampshire, we need a range of options to help protect the environment while this infrastructure comes online.
“Importing water would be a last resort contingency measure that would only be used for a short period in the event of an extreme drought emergency in the early 2030s – something considerably worse than the drought of 1976.
“We have a range of other reserve options to call on first, such as temporary desalination plants and water-saving agreements with businesses, to keep taps running, so the likelihood of needing to import water is very remote.
“We’re committed to continuing to work with our regulators on developing the right solutions to meet the challenge of water scarcity, while protecting the environment.”
Southern Water says importation from Norway is viable but is “an absolute last resort, with a remote possibility of ever being implemented.”
In October it was revealed Southern Water customers face a bill increase of £230 per year (44%) from 2025 until 2030 to help cover the cost of a £7.8billion investment in the service.
Wastewater only customers will see average bills increase by £85 per year (27%) between 2025 to 2030. Water only customers will see average bills increase by £145 per year (69%) between 2025 to 2030.
For those who pay monthly it means a rise by just under £9 per month from 2025 increasing to just over £19 per month by 2030 (costs before inflation). For wastewater only customers this will be just over £2 per month from 2025 increasing to just over £7 per month by 2030 (costs before inflation).
Southern Water says there has been significant new investment from shareholders of £1.6 billion since 2021, who have not received a dividend since 2017.
Southern is majority owned by Australian investor Macquarie.
Kent County Councillor Karen Constantine, who is one of the representatives for Ramsgate, said: “This is frankly a mad plan.
“Southern Water is not tackling the water shortage problem effectively. Much of the shortage is from leaking underground pipes, which allow treated water to leach away. The mainly Victorian infrastructure is simply not up to scratch. Instead of sorting out the problem, and investing our money into a systemic upgrade, they prefer to reward shareholders, and pay huge salaries and bonuses, all the while hiking up our bills.
“It simply isn’t good enough. What we need is a comprehensive, long term and a more sensible plan where Southern Water invest their profit in ensuring the sustainability of our water.
“This plan is alarming, and means that yet another element is added to the water supply chain, an element which will also cream off a profit. I think we’ve all had enough of higher bills and paying them for other people, and companies, to derive a handsome profit.”
Sorry is this a joke. TDC allow planning applications Southern Water now admitting they cannot cope with the extra demand so unfortunately prices will increase again by 50% as for 2025.
If they cannot cope with the extra water demand how are they going to cope with the additional sweage requirements.
Proof (as if it was needed) that the lunatics are running the asylum.
So why has my monthly water bill increased by 50% this year ?
Maybe if they fixed the leaks as soon as they’re reported, maybe there would be enough water ! If they’re finding it hard to manage the water usage now, what’s going to happen once all these new builds are finished..if they ever stop building that is !!
Privatisation eh! The benefits to the bosses, overseas shareholders and Australian pension firms are obvious; not so to the UK public.
Tim McMahon, Southern Water’s Managing Director for Water, said: “We put less water into supply now than we did 30 years ago.
Yeah, because you are too busy putting sewage into the supply-that has probably increased 300% from 30 years ago.
Sothern Water are jokers and spurt out more rubbish than they do water, can’t see why they would expect educated people to believe them.
Unlike your water, it is crystal clear what your game is.
This is one bid expensive joke foisted on us to ensure that the shareholders maintain their dividends. What a criminal farce , greed and total incompetance exacerbated by the massive increase in population.
Stop the DFLs, stop the immigrants. We are full up and our resources cannot cope – not just water but sewage, doctors, hospitals , schools, policing, you name it!
Water from Norway indeed, with the amount of rain we’ve had this year?? What a joke!
INCOMPETANCE REIGNS, and we are being screwed to pay for it.
The idea of bringing in water from Norway is not to meet a demand today, tomorrow or even this year.
It’s contingency planning for decade ahead, in event of extreme drought.
I do wonder what our water rates have been paying for these past 30 odd years. Certainly not investing in infrastructure.
George,
Thanks for clarifying that point about it being a contingency plan.
I certainly echo your thoughts on the question of what have our water rates been paying for these past decades? (other than waste and dividends), and that not enough has been invested in future proofing the system to meet increasing demands.
Sorry, Answer to Andrew, not George. Apologies
Perhaps Ton would like it if a new UK law was passed, stopping all UK citizens from moving out of the village, town or city in which they were born .
Stupid comment as usual from this source.
Ton- It was a sarcastic comment.
I think Ton should calm down and take his medication, assuming he can get a glass of water to wash it down.
I can see that he is frustrated with Southern water, but blaming DFL’s and immigrants for Southern water’s failings,is as ludicrous as the Norway water plan.
Having wreaked havoc with Thames water, why was Macquarie allowed to ‘invest’ in Southern water.That is the real question.
The government should have taken measures against Macquarie.
We are told that we must have foreign investment, but if it entails relying on outfits like Macquarie, I would sooner mot bother. They actually have the audacity to moan that they have nit had a dividend since 2017, but receiving dividends is just one way of extracting value from a company. The complex financial engineering at Thames Water, has led to its problems, and Macquarie was at the bottom of it.
If the government through Ofwat gives way, it really will make the government unpopular.
Southern water have been disceminating half truths and excuses for years,and we are forced to listen to their bleating.it is time it stopped.
I completely agree with Ton, whether DFL’s (Down from London) or dfl’s (dross from London) or the huge migrant influx, there can be no doubt whatsover that over-development in Thanet is a massive problem for our resources and the cause of current and future problems.
If you think we have problems now just wait until the planned 9000+ new houses are built.
This is a one way street and it will inevitably turn Thanet into one of the UK’s biggest slums. We’re already half way there.
Way to go TDC which lies at the root of every problem in Thanet.
Makes me think of the film “escape from New York”. Next they’ll be putting armed guards at all the bridges out of Thanet. One big prison .
We don’t have a shortage of water, it’s like leaves on the rails, we have the WRONG type of water.
Other countries install desalination plants. Why but have two different supplies…. Drinking water and desalinated water for agriculture, industry, toilets and washing and just a smaller supply of clean drinking water.
Pip,
That sounds like a plan! Excellent idea.
Will Southern Water see this as possibly a great idea and invest?
I won’t hold my breath waiting.
You’d have to install two sets of water mains, and have two sets of plumbing in premises.
A bit tricky.
Two main supplies yes, but internal to the house you could just supply drinking water to the kitchen. We’ve had water softeners which has mean we’ve needed two different pipe runs in the house, one for drinking and one for the softened water.
Fibre broadband has been installed all over Thanet with pavements dug up and if all new builds had dual supply by law first, it would stop the problem getting worse with more houses at least.
is the local aquifer still containing the remnants of all that cyclohexane that leaked out of thor chemical into the water table back int he day?
Is the aquifer not being used as our water supply at the moment then?