Ofwat

  • Water

    Water sector adapts quickly to COVID-19 crisis

    The GB water sector, like almost every sector in the UK, has not escaped from the pressures posed by the COVID-19 crisis. In this article, we present the approaches taken by the respective regulators in England & Wales (Ofwat) and in Scotland (WICS), and MOSL (the market operator for England...

  • Water

    Ofwat proposes widening retail margins from 2020

    Limits on the margin that water retailers may earn from their customers in the business market may be loosened from April 2020 under new proposals from the regulator. Ofwat issued a consultation on 11 December in which it set out plans that would see the cap on allowed margins for...

  • Water

    Water companies unveil benefits for customers over next price control

    Since early this year there has been a lot of focus on the “legitimacy challenge” to the water industry: the question of whether or not the privatised profit-driven model of water companies that has been followed since 1989 is currently delivering for consumers. Leading the charge has been Jeremy Corbyn’s...

  • Regulation and policy

    Private ownership of utility networks – does PR19 begin to turn the tide?

    Over the past 20 years or so one theme has dominated the capital markets as far as the UK utility networks have been concerned - namely the move of ownership from public market investors to private market investors. This phenomenon has led to the situation where there are now only...

  • Water

    Final methodology for tough new water price control contains few concessions

    Ofwat released the final version of its methodology for the 2019 price review (PR19) on 13 December, having published the draft for consultation in July. The water regulator has repeatedly touted each successive price control as being its toughest one yet, but they have usually turned out to be fairly...