4,000 jobs to be created as United Utilities gets green light for £975m investment across North West
The decision will be officially signed-off in December.
Up to 4,000 jobs will be created in the North West after United Utilities (UU) was given the go-ahead to make £975m of new investment.
Ofwat, the water services regulation authority, has approved UU’s plans to enhance resilience across the company’s network and provide additional water and wastewater capacity across the region.
The draft decision follows the company's submission to Ofwat in April for a range of schemes requiring additional investment.
This new investment and jobs are in addition to the £13 billion of infrastructure upgrades already planned by United Utilities by 2030, supporting over 30,000 jobs across the North West.
The draft decision from Ofwat is subject to a final determination in December.
It represents an important step in Ofwat's new "re-opener" process, which allows water companies to seek approval for additional investment during the five-year regulatory period where new needs can be demonstrated.
Louise Beardmore, Chief Executive Officer of United Utilities, said: “It is great to see this in-period regulatory mechanism working well, providing the opportunity to deliver the additional infrastructure needed to support the rapid economic growth we are seeing across the region, enabling businesses to grow, houses to be built and additional high-quality jobs to be created, providing great opportunities for employment for people here in the North West."
The investment is aimed at enabling the Government's housing, digital infrastructure and climate policy ambitions.