How we're addressing climate change

Our region is the driest and lowest lying in the UK, with over 1,200km of coastline, making it more vulnerable than most to the effects of climate change.

Water resources are precious and rising temperatures across the planet will reduce them further, meaning the threat of more frequent droughts. Yet with rising sea levels and more intense rainfall, we are also at risk to more flooding.

With the growing population expected to rise by a further 1 million homes over the next 25 years. We understand the need to tackle this issue to safeguard our regions growth and that’s why we’re so passionate about playing our part in the global effort to limit further climate change.

Our long term ambitions

We are working towards making the East of England resilient to the risks of drought and flooding by committing to:

Be a net zero carbon business by 2030
Invest £1.4 billion overall in water resources and the environment by 2025
Halve our number of leakage incidents by 2050
Start work on new low carbon treatment wetland schemes by 2025
Reduce the proportion of customers supplied by a single source of water to 14 per cent by 2025
Increase the coverage of customers with a meter towards 95 per cent, with all meters to be smart meters
Reduce internal sewer flooding incidents for customers by 24 per cent by 2025

Explore our journey

In order to tackle these ambitions, we're investing millions in reducing leakage to record levels by using cutting-edge infrared technology to spot leaks faster, upgrading equipment and existing infrastructure. We're working with our customers to reduce water consumption and supporting behaviour change with our new smart meters and education programme. We are also constructing hundres of kilometres of interconnecting pipeline from areas of water surplus in north Lincolnshire down to the south and east of the region, this Strategic Pipeline Alliance (SPA) will secure water supplies for future generations

We have contributed £7.5million through our Partnership Funding programme towards 49 flood protection schemes that help protect customers and our sites. Alongside our investments, we are using insight to continuously update our Water Resources Management Plan to tackling climate change, transform our resilience to drought and give many customers a second source of supply.

Our latest Adaptation Report, published in December 2020, is available for download below. It describes how we are embedding adaptation across our business and will contribute to government understanding of our level of preparedness to climate change.

Further information

UK Climate Change Risk Assessment 2017 Evidence Report.