Ofwat has commissioned five independent reports on the role of system operators in bringing more competition into the water sector. The water companies were almost all opposed to the idea which was first proposed by Ofwat in July last year.

Sir Michael Pitt, currently Chair of the Infrastructure Planning Commission will become Chief Executive of the Planning Inspectorate when Katrine Sporle, the Inspectorate’s Chief Executive, retires at the end of March. 

The independent Northern Ireland Utility Regulator, responsible for regulating the electricity, gas, water and sewerage industries in Northern Ireland, today publishes its report into NI Water’s handling of the freeze/thaw incident, which led to water supply disruptions for around 450,000 consumers, during the December 2010-January 2011 period.

Ofwat has announced this morning that the average household water and sewerage bill across England and Wales will increase broadly in line with inflation in 2011/12.

Water UK, the body which represents all the UK water and wastewater companies at both national and EU level, has expressed concerns about Ofwat’s current regulatory approach.

The latest Ofwat update on its sustainable sludge project puts the sewerage companies’ capability to raise significant additional income via its current ‘monopoly position’ with regards to both treatment infrastructure and sewage sludge availability squarely in its sights. The update says that waste sludge is turning into a valuable asset rather than a waste.