South West Water has published its Green Recovery Initiative – a plan to create up to 500 new jobs and help the region’s economy recover from the Covid-19 pandemic.

The proposals will increase South West Water’s environmental investment to 2025 by £92 million, with six projects focused on improving public health, protecting the environment and addressing climate change.

The plans have been submitted to the Government and South West Water’s regulators. If given the go-ahead, they would see the water company’s existing £1 billion investment programme increase by 10%, creating hundreds of new jobs over the next four years, benefiting the wider supply chain, and providing opportunities for South West Water’s existing workforce to gain new green skills.

The South West’s economy has been one of the hardest hit by Covid-19. As one of the largest companies in the region, South West Water’s Green Recovery Initiative is focused on opportunities to make an even bigger and more societal contribution, with six projects focused on improving public health, protecting the environment and addressing climate change.

The plans include:

• Knapp Mill water treatment works advancement – completion of a new water treatment works for Bournemouth customers, 18 months ahead of current schedule.
• Water resources grid enablement – protecting water resources for future generations for c.250,000 customers, addressing supply risks in North Devon, and supporting resilience in other parts of the country, notably Southern England.
• Transforming river quality – addressing storm overflows and piloting approaches to achieving river bathing water quality for the benefit of all those who use them.
• Catchment management – an extension to the water company’s winning land regeneration schemes which improve water quality, alleviate flooding, enhance biodiversity and significantly reduce the South West’s carbon footprint on the road to achieving Net Zero

The Green Recovery Initiative has been developed with input from customers, who when surveyed, strongly endorsed the proposals. Support has also been given by the independent WaterShare+ Customer Advisory Panel, whose role includes holding the company to account in delivering for customers.

Susan Davy, Pennon’s Chief Executive Officer said:

“Our Green Recovery proposals are focused on opportunities to make an even bigger environmental and societal contribution to the South West for the longer term than we already do today.

“We are confident South West Water can step up to the challenge, deliver for all, and play our part in the Green Recovery.”

Lord Matthew Taylor, Chair of the WaterShare+ Advisory Panel added:

“These plans for further enhancing the environment, public health, creating new and better jobs are welcomed, especially as customers’ bills won’t be impacted.”

South West Water’s Green Recovery Initiative is in addition to existing efforts to support the region, having already accelerated delivery of c.£42 million of investment, creating 500 new apprenticeships, and being one of the first companies anywhere to take part in the Kickstart scheme, providing work placements to young people at risk of long-term unemployment.

Since the introduction of the Government apprenticeship levy in 2017, the company has fully funded over 400 apprenticeships in a wide variety of roles and now has 140 current apprentices.

In November 2020, South West Water became the first company in the South West, and the first water company, to support 50 placements through the Government’s Kickstart programme, designed to improve social mobility.

Click here to read South West Water’s Green Recovery proposals in full