Utility Week Live
Issue link: https://read.utilityweek.co.uk/i/497182
The water sector faces a host of new challenges as it enters AMP6. In the wake of an historic price review which will see water companies across the country asked to do more with less. Key quotes Not all water retailers will be successful in the competitive market. Those who consider themselves the best at customer service today may have to redouble their eff orts." Alan Sutherland, chief executive, Water Industry Commission Scotland – speaking 22 April We hope that whereas in the past it has been suggested that the regulatory regime has been a constraint to innovation, this price review will be more of a catalyst for it." Sonia Brown, senior director of markets and economics, Ofwat – speaking 22 April We can invest as much as we like in our treatment works, but if we don't deal with diff use pollution then the demands of the Water Framework Directive will never be met. A collaborative, multi- agency approach is needed." David Elliott, director of environment and assets, Wessex Water – speaking 23 April T he industry's strategists and asset managers must adjust to the regulatory requirement to think in terms of total expenditure (totex) rather than being constrained by the traditional boundaries of capex and opex. The search for cost-eff ective, less asset intensive solutions means that collaborative approaches such as catchment management will rise to the fore, while fresh thinking will be required to make the most of existing assets and focus investment where it is most needs mounting to pick up the pace of change. With the unprecedented level of customer engagement which formed part of the price review process, and customer-centric outcomes enshrined in their business plans, water utilities will increasingly need to put the customer at the heart of everything they do. Preparations for the advent of non-household retail competition in 2017, and the roll out of smart metering systems, hint at a new relationship between the sector and its customers. Against this backdrop, the sessions in Utility Week Live's water theatre aim to shine a light on a number of key operational and strategic challenges that companies face. The fi rst day sees Graham Southall, managing director of Thames Water Commercial Services, leading a session on resource recovery from wastewater, while the discussion led by Greg Bradley, partner at EC Harris, takes aim at the weighty topic of totex. Sessions on customer engagement and anaerobic digestion round off a strong fi rst day. Abstraction reform has been a key plank of recent government policy for managing water resources, and the second day kicks off with a thorough look at the operational implications of such upstream reform, chaired by Ian Barker of Water Policy International. Delegates will hear more about metering and retail competition, while another highlight, on Wednesday afternoon, will be the session on industrial effl uent treatment which features case studies from Wyke Farms, Heathrow Airport and Otter Brewery. The pace does not let up on Thursday, which sees an exploration of catchment management and leakage, before further analysis of the price review with contributions from South West Water, Affi nity Water and Thames Water. In summary, there's no better place to keep abreast of water industry developments, and how they fi t into the wider utilities landscape, than at Utility Week Live. James Brockett, editor, WWT See p12 for seminar agenda details Water/introduction 7 Water of potable water produced in the UK is lost to leakage