South West Water is pleased to welcome the key draft decision of its Green Recovery Initiative by the regulator Ofwat.

This is positive news for the South West and will see carefully planned investment across the whole of the region. The plan will create up to 500 new jobs, support the wider supply chain and help the region’s economy recover and protect the environment.

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 projects focused on what matters most to customers and those that improve public health, protect the environment and address climate change.

Some of the key focus areas of the Green Recovery Initiative are to:

- Take action to eliminate harm from storm overflows.

- Trial improvements to river quality to match standards of bathing waters.

- Deliver low carbon water treatment works to contribute to ambitious net zero commitment.

The initiative will also focus on restoring more of the South West peatland to reduce carbon emissions and work to create smarter, healthier homes to help customers with water efficiency to reduce usage and bills.

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

Susan Davy, chief executive officer of South West Water’s parent company, Pennon Group, 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. Alongside our current business plan, we are confident in the delivery of these initiatives and we will continue to engage with customers and our stakeholders on our proposals.”

Lord Matthew Taylor, chair of the WaterShare+ Advisory Panel, said: “It’s great news to see the regulator is supportive of South West Water’s plans to create jobs, address pressing environmental issues and to keep customer bills low. We look forward to customers being further consulted on this initiative.”

This is good news for the region ahead of the G7 Summit which will see world leaders gather to discuss some of the issues facing us from tackling climate change to the ongoing pandemic. South West Water’s Green Recovery Initiative supports both.