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A water firm which loses hundreds of thousands of litres of water day by day by means of leaks is planning to ship in water by tanker from Norway.
Southern Water, which serves 4.7 million clients, has submitted official plans to herald 45 million litres of glacial meltwater every day for six weeks in case of drought.
The plan — which the Setting Company and Division for Setting Meals and Rural Affairs must log out — would require £70million spent to construct docking services to obtain the water and £5million every year it’s used.
Southern Water has been allowed to lift its payments by 44 per cent over the following 5 years, which equates to £183, by water regulator Ofwat.
However the tanking scheme is prone to result in an extra improve in water payments.
Southern Water is planning to ship in water by tanker from Norwegian fjords.
Low water ranges at a reservoir in Glossop through the heatwave in Summer season 2022
Southern Water is among the many worst offenders for critical air pollution incidents, and was fined £90million in 2021 for almost 7,000 unpermitted sewage discharges.
The suggestion of getting to ship water from Norwegian fjords has drawn comparisons of ‘bringing coal to Newcastle’ because the 18 months to March this yr have been the wettest since information started in 1836.
Critics say as an alternative of bringing water by ship — which will likely be costly and environmentally damaging — Southern Water ought to repair their very own leaking pipe community.
Singer Feargal Sharkey, who’s Vice Chairman of the River Motion marketing campaign group, stated the plan was ‘totally ludicrous’.
He added: ‘(It) is but extra proof that the regulators have been captured by the fairy story that’s the UK water trade.’
Southern Water is the worst firm for leakages and loses 107 million litres of water — round 19 per cent of its whole water provide — by means of leaky pipes every day.
Now it’s in discussions with Excessive Drought Resilience Service to convey water by tanker.
Thames Water, Britain’s largest water agency, has rejected an identical proposal from the identical firm, concluding that it could be ‘excessively pricey’.
A water trade insider talking on situations of anonymity stated: ‘I’ve by no means heard something so loopy.’
The price breaks all the way down to a one-off £70million outlay for the infrastructure to allow the tankering after which it could price roughly £5million every year water is shipped, in response to Southern Water.
These tankers could be ordered each different yr till 2027, when will probably be ordered yearly, as the corporate wants 6 weeks mobilisation discover.
Even when the order is cancelled earlier than the tanker is on its approach, there would nonetheless be contract and mobilisation prices incurred.
The carbon footprint could be 128 tonnes per yr, which Southern Water admits is ‘vital’.
Shaun Spiers, government director on the Inexperienced Alliance think-tank, stated: ‘Delivery water from Norway, on a vessel virtually assured to be powered by fossil fuels, isn’t the reply.’
In the summertime of 2022, Southern Water was the primary to herald a hosepipe ban as water provides started to run low.
Southern Water has to show to importing water from exterior the UK as a result of it can’t extract any extra water from two rivers in its catchment space: the Take a look at and the Itchen, each uncommon chalk streams.
The suggestion of getting to ship water from Norwegian fjords has drawn comparisons of ‘bringing coal to Newcastle’, with the 18 months till March this yr recorded because the wettest on report
The corporate is obliged to cut back abstraction from the Take a look at by as much as 80 per cent to stop injury to wildlife.
Plans to construct a brand new reservoir within the space are awaiting planning permission.
One other scheme, the Hampshire Water Switch and Water Recycling Challenge, has been delayed until 2034.
Southern Water concedes that tankering water from Norway is ‘not the perfect factor to do’, however says it’s the higher possibility.
Managing Director of Water Tim McMahon stated: ‘To cater for the acute drought eventualities, we’re left with sea tankering. However the probability of this occurring is extremely uncommon.’
Mr Mcmahon added it could solely be in use till the reservoir and recycling scheme is in place.
