Water & Wastewater Treatment

4 | FEBRUARY 2016 | WWT | www.wwtonline.co.uk Industry news February A separate household retail market, auction- style competition, and an extension of the approach being implemented in the non-household retail market are among the scenarios being considered by Ofwat for providing competition for retail water services to domestic customers in England. The scenarios are included in the regulator's dra• terms of reference, revealed on Jan 15, for reviewing the costs and benefits of providing competition for retail water services to household customers in England. The government announced last November its decision to look into the benefits of competition for households in England, asking Ofwat to carry out a review and report back in the summer. Ofwat said the review will consider the opportunities for introducing competition regarding the provision of water and sewerage Ofwat outlines retail competition scenarios Contract Tracker UU to build whisky AD plant United Utilities' retail busi- ness in Scotland has been appointed by The Glenmo- rangie Company to build an anaerobic digestion (AD) plant at its distillery in Tain in the Highlands. The Business Solutions team has been awarded the contract by Glenmo- rangie as part of a drive towards sustained environ- mental improvement. The plant is due to be opened in summer 2016. Nomenca wins Wessex work Specialist MEICA (Mechanical, Electrical, Instrumentation, Control and Automation) contractor, Nomenca Limited, part of the NM Group, has secured a framework agreement with Wessex Water Services to deliver a range of projects during AMP6. Rotork in Scottish Water actuator deal Rotork has become the sole supplier of new actuators to Scottish Water and its business partners and contractors for the utility's SR15 2015-2021 investment programme. The new framework complements an existing agreement that provides servicing and spares for the thousands of Rotork actuators installed throughout the Scottish mainland and islands. services to households. It will use evidence to assess the costs and benefits of extending retail competition to households, in as open and transparent a process as possible. Ofwat said it wants to gain understanding on the views and likely behaviours of customers in respect of choice in water and wastewater retail activities, and potential models for implementing any reform. The regulator will set out the overall potential costs and benefits for scenarios of household retail competition; specific issues for implementation that affect the scenarios; and the options arising for different scenarios. Cathryn Ross, Ofwat chief executive, said: "Business customers and other organisations will be able to choose their retail supplier from April next year. There are 18 times as many household customers in England who could also potentially benefit from a well-functioning market. Yet we also need to identify the barriers to getting a better deal for customers and making sure all customers' interests are considered. "Opening up choice is a decision for government. We have committed to a rigorous review that is open, transparent and evidence based. We will look to learn from other sectors and want to hear a wide range of views. This will be crucial in delivering a comprehensive review that takes full account of the best interests of customers and wider society." Ofwat plans to publish its initial findings in July 2016, with the final report submitted to government in September 2016. Once the review is complete, the government will decide if and when it wants to give household customers a choice. It expects to be able to factor the government's conclusions and decisions into the 2019 price review. 1,968 The number of sewage outfalls where the frequency and content of spills remain unknown to the Environment Agency, according to a Freedom of Information request by The Angling Trust and Fish Legal. The outfalls are the subject of temporary deemed consents (TDCs). Water and wastewater provider ACWA Services has struck a deal with Canadian-based Ostara Nutrient Recovery Technologies to make its phosphorus recovery technology Ostara Pearl available to UK water companies. Ostara's Pearl process (which works through reactors, pictured) recovers phosphorus and nitrogen from wastewater streams at municipal and industrial wastewater treatment plants and transforms them into a high-value, eco-friendly fertiliser.

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