Thames Water plans £1.6bn sewage works bonanza

Aaron Morby 2 years ago
Share

Thames Water is planning to splash out £1.6bn on upgrading sewage treatment works and sewer networks over the next two years.

An extra 150 extra staff have been taken on at Thames Water’s capital delivery team to raise its capability to deliver complex engineering projects at pace.

Its fast-tracked programme will see significant upgrades to wastewater treatment plants and sewerage networks to reduce storm discharges and pollution incidents.

The spending splurge will help Thames Water to reduce the total annual duration of discharges by 50% by 2030 compared to a 2020 baseline. This commitment includes an 80% reduction in discharges in particularly sensitive catchments.

Over the next two years, starting in April, the water company will pump £1.12bn into sewage treatment plant expansion, including £650m on enhancing and upgrading over 135 existing sites to improve resilience and provide additional capacity.

During this period, Thames Water will also spend a further £470m on the wider sewer network.

The £1.6bn spending bonanza sets a new record for investment for a UK water utility and represents a more than twofold increase in Thames Water’s spending on its sewage treatment plants and wider sewer network, compared to the previous two years.

This investment will include allocations for essential maintenance works, such as repairing existing infrastructure, improving treatment standards and increasing capacity at sewage treatment works.

Sarah Bentley, chief executive of Thames Water, said: “The discharge of untreated sewage is unacceptable, and we are committed to tackling this problem.

“We are investing record sums in upgrading our sewer systems and treatment works and are striving every day to reduce the discharge of untreated sewage into our rivers.

“However, there are no quick fixes. Population growth will increase the strain on our sewage network and treatment centres. And because of climate change, the south east of England is experiencing heavier downpours, which can overwhelm some sewage treatment works. The scale of the challenge demands urgent and systemic reform with a shared undertaking from all stakeholders.”

Key enhancement projects


  • Beckton Sewage Treatment Works upgrade: Spending £145m upgrading the Beckton Sewage Treatment Works, the largest sewage treatment works in Europe serving more than 3.5 million people. This site is used to allow the additional storm flows from the Thames Tideway Tunnel to be pumped out and transferred for treatment.
  • Mogden Sewage Treatment Works upgrade: Spending £97m upgrading the works site in the Ivybridge section of Isleworth, West London, to increase capacity and reduce the number of storm discharges.
  • Witney Sewage Treatment Works expansion and upgrade: £15m upgrade to the works in Oxfordshire to reduce the number of storm discharge incidents.
  • Chesham Upgrade and Nutrient Removal: £16.4m investment in the works in Buckinghamshire with £3.3m allocated to improving flow and £13.1m towards removing phosphate load in the River Chess.

Latest news

BESA audit blitz sees 14 specialist contractors suspended

Building engineering services trade body cracks down on standards
13 hours ago

Engineers pull-off 220m HS2 viaduct slide in 3 days

Five-structure Northants sequence ends with 1,300t deck slide - video
28 minutes ago

Managing Director moves to advisory role at Shufflebottom

Alex Shufflebottom steps-down after acquisition by Embrace
49 minutes ago

JV North unveils winners of £500m housing blitz

Consortium gears up to deliver 3,000 new homes across North West
15 hours ago

Partnerships builder Keepmoat names new chief executive

Ian Hoad to take reins as Tim Beale steps down after eight years
16 hours ago

Ballymore to transform former Crossrail construction site

Limmo Peninsula will be new neighbourhood in East London
20 hours ago

Building Safety Regulator chief to step down

Search on to find replacement for Philip White
23 hours ago

Amazon unveils £40bn investment plan for UK sites

Four new fulfillment centres confirmed as part of huge spending package
23 hours ago

Glass bridge picked for Queen Elizabeth II memorial

New bridge and gardens will honour late Queen in the heart of London
23 hours ago

Mears set to beat profit forecasts after strong first half

Maintenance growth and 100% contract retention drive bullish outlook for 2025
23 hours ago

Bouygues lands London 150 key worker homes job

Affordable flats planned near London Bridge in landmark council scheme
24 hours ago

Hebden Bridge £68m flood defence job heads to market

Market engagement opens on four-year Environment Agency scheme
24 hours ago

Housing plans go in for abandoned theme park

Story Homes to transform former Camelot Theme Park in Lancashire
23 hours ago

Morris & Spottiswood sees turnover and profits surge

Growth at M&E division helps power record numbers
24 hours ago

Redundancies loom at M&E giant Dalkia

Consultation starts at Southern region
2 days ago

Land deal unlocks East London £750m health hub plan

Queen Mary University secures site to build Whitechapel life sciences complex
2 days ago

Aureos bags £45m Howden Relief Road job

Former Keltbray infrastructure business to start construction next month
2 days ago

Four injured after partially built floor collapses

Court hears how steel beams were cut at the same time Acrow props removed
2 days ago

Careys directors sacked after £4m job-loss showdown

Pair win unfair dismissal case after being accused of "tickling each other’s bollocks"
5 days ago

Octavius wins £31m A38 corridor upgrade

North Somerset picks firm for key trunk road improvement scheme
2 days ago

Danny Sullivan Group hits back over HS2 allegations

Labour supply giant confident it is "fully compliant with all tax obligations"
5 days ago

Bid race takes off for £500m MAG airport small works deal

Nine-lot framework to cover civils, building and M&E jobs up to £5m
5 days ago

Mace director joins Wates as Chief Commercial Officer

Pat Fitzgerald to lead commercial strategy at Wates
5 days ago

Rob Perrins steps up as executive chair in Berkeley shake-up

Long-serving chief steps up to lead housebuilder’s next growth phase
5 days ago

Competition watchdog turns attention to civil engineering

Competition and Markets Authority launches study into road and rail delivery
6 days ago

Timber imports rise for first time in four years

Softwood volumes and prices lead rebound as housing outlook improves
5 days ago

10-Year Infrastructure Strategy published

Full details as Government pledges £725bn of funding over the next decade
6 days ago

Korean firm buys part built Hackney job from failed Elements Europe

Work can now restart on 21-storey hotel and office development
6 days ago

Mark Wild radical reset plan to rescue HS2

Senior manager bonuses scrapped and non-permanent labour cutback
6 days ago

HS2 supply chain fraud claims spark ministerial probe

Transport secretary pledges one-year reset for HS2 to end 'litany of failures'
7 days ago