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Executive overview
Key findings
£614: indicative average annual bill for 2025-30 after the CMA decision, against £594 in Ofwat's determination (2022-23 prices)
69.10 → 76.98 Ml/d: total annual leakage, 2024-25 to 2025-26 (actual)
4 stars → 2 stars: Environment Agency (EA) environmental performance rating, 2023 to 2024, held at 2 stars for 2025
£3,408.6 million and 72.0%: net debt and gearing at 30 June 2025 (statutory accounts; the FY2026 accounts, filed on 2 October 2026, are not reflected here)
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Buyer relevance
Who the report is for
Engineering and technology suppliers to UK water companies
Locate where Wessex Water's pressure sits, from a wastewater network using 200,253 MWh in 2024-25 to mains renewal at about 0.23% of the network a year.
Credit and infrastructure investors
Set the Baa2 rating and 72.0% gearing (June 2025) against an allowance of £4.3 billion and net debt that rose about 51.9% between FY2020 and FY2025.
Regulatory and policy advisers
Follow the company's path from the CMA's 10 March 2026 decision, which raised the allowed return to 4.20%, to the planned single regulator.
Environmental and catchment partners
Track pollution incidents of 46.93 per 10,000 km in 2025 against a target of 25.02, and spills per overflow of 21.08.
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Decision scope
Questions answered
How has Wessex Water's environmental rating changed?
The Environment Agency rated it 4 stars in 2023 and 2 stars, "Company requires improvement", in both 2024 and 2025.
What did the CMA decide for Wessex Water?
The CMA set 2025-30 allowed revenue at £3,734 million, £106 million above Ofwat's updated figure, against the £3,875 million the company requested, with an indicative average bill of £614.
Is Wessex Water in drought?
A company-wide hosepipe ban began on 18 August 2026 and was still in force on 6 November 2026, with the company at drought level 3.
How far is Wessex Water from its 2030 carbon target?
Gross operational emissions were 147,696 tCO2e in 2024-25 on a location-based measure, against a target of net zero operational emissions by 2030.
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Inside the report
Inside the complete report
Executive Snapshot
1. From Service Provider to System Operator
2. Energy, Carbon, and Resource Decoupling
3. Infrastructure Strategy for a Non-Stationary Climate
4. Customers, Demand, and the Water Prosumer
5. Governance, Regulation, and Institutional Reform
6. Capital Planning and Financial Architecture
7. Strategic System Roadmap
Conclusion
Source Register
05
Public preview
What to watch next
3. Infrastructure Strategy for a Non-Stationary Climate
The date the hosepipe ban is lifted and the outcome of the seven drought permit applications; 2026-27 leakage against the Ofwat requirement for a 13% reduction over 2025-30; spills per overflow in a wetter year.
4. Customers, Demand, and the Water Prosumer
2025-26 per capita consumption; debt written off and complaints as the PR24 bill path continues; post-drought demand compared with 2025.
5. Governance, Regulation, and Institutional Reform
The Transition Plan promised for 2026; the 2026 EA rating; whether serious pollution incidents return to zero.
6. Capital Planning and Financial Architecture
net debt and gearing in the FY2026 statutory accounts, filed on 2 October 2026 and not reflected in the FY2025 figures shown here; any Fitch action after November 2023; the coupon on Wessex Water's next bond issue.
Section 3 sets drought status, leakage, mains renewal and storm overflow indicators side by side, each with its period and status.
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Included
What you receive
The complete PDF report: 12 pages, 10 sections, 14 tables and a register of 20 sources.
This edition
November 2026, First edition.
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Evidence & method
Evidence and method
The report draws on Wessex Water's statutory accounts, Annual Performance Reports and regulatory tables, its water resources and drainage plans, Ofwat's PR19 and PR24 determinations, the CMA's March 2026 redetermination, Environment Agency performance and drought reports, and UK government regulatory reform publications.
Sources
20 sources, listed in the report's source register. Evidence current to 9 November 2026. Principal data periods: statutory accounts for FY2025 (year ended 30 June 2025; FY2026 accounts were filed on 2 October 2026 and are not reflected here); Annual Performance Report (APR) tables for 2024-25 (year ended 31 March 2025); APR 2025-26 (calendar 2025 for environmental measures); PR24 price control 2025-30; drought status as of 6 November 2026. All currency is pounds sterling (£)..
Evidence boundaries
This report uses authoritative source material available at the stated research cutoff. It distinguishes published facts, calculated values and analytical interpretation. No independent modelling is performed. Forward-looking analysis reflects published plans, documented trends and stated uncertainties. It does not constitute legal, financial, investment or engineering advice.
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Lead analyst
Robert C. Brears
Founder, Our Future Water Intelligence
Robert C. Brears is a water-security specialist and author whose work examines utility governance, infrastructure investment, climate resilience and long-term water-system change for executive and policy audiences.
- Decision-focused utility intelligence
- Published water-policy author
- Evidence-grounded system analysis
09
Buyer FAQs
Before you purchase
Who can use the report?
Licensed for internal use within one purchasing organization. The PDF and its contents may be shared with colleagues within that organization. External redistribution, resale and public publication are prohibited without permission.
How is the report delivered?
The PDF is available to download immediately after confirmed payment, through our secure delivery system.
Can my organization buy wider access?
Institutional purchasing: For invoice enquiries, multi-organization licensing or broader access requirements, contact Our Future Water Intelligence.
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Water Utility of the Future: Wessex Water
- Format
- Length
- 12 pages
- Edition
- November 2026, First edition
- Price
- USD 499
11
Report details
Publication details
- Publisher
- Our Future Water Intelligence
- Report family
- Water Utility Intelligence Report
- Edition
- November 2026, First edition
- Format
- Length
- 12 pages
- Reference
- OFW_EXT_WATER_UTILITY_OF_THE_FUTURE_WESSEX_WATER_f03c61b9de29
- Evidence current to
- 9 November 2026
14
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