Water Giant Fuels Growth with £2.5B Infrastructure Boost

United Utilities, the UK's largest listed water supplier, is set to invest an additional £2.5 billion to upgrade its infrastructure. This significant capital injection, supported by a £400 million cornerstone investment from Atlas Infrastructure, will focus on improving the resilience and capacity of its water and sewage networks.

The ambitious plan aims to facilitate growth in key sectors, including housing, data centres, and clean energy. It is projected to create around 4,000 new jobs, complementing the 30,000 roles already supported by its current five-year investment strategy. These proposals have been submitted to the regulator Ofwat.

Specific projects include approximately £200 million for new water infrastructure for data centres in east Manchester and around £220 million for water supply to a clean energy programme in Ellesmere Port, Cheshire. Furthermore, about £350 million is earmarked for wastewater treatment upgrades at 34 sites, designed to support the development of 66,000 new homes across the North West.

This investment comes as the water sector faces increased scrutiny over issues such as supply outages and pollution. The company previously raised customer bills by 9% in April, an increase of approximately £57 to annual household bills, as part of its ongoing upgrade plans agreed with Ofwat.