Thames Tideway ‘super sewer’ won’t open until 2025 due to coronavirus
The construction of the Thames Tideway “super sewer” is now expected to cost £233m more as a result of coronavirus, with the mega-project now not expected to be completed until 2025.
As a result of the increased cost, Thames Water customers may face slightly higher water bills, the Telegraph first reported.
At the moment, customers of the water supplier pay £18 a year towards the project’s construction, with a final estimate of the cost between £20 to £25 per customer per year.
A spokesperson for the project said that any rise in the cost to consumers would remain within the previous estimate.
Water regulator Ofwat said that customers could face “a modest increase” in price due to the impact of coronavirus.
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, work on the 25km sewer, which stretches from Acton to Abbey Mills, had to be paused for several months.
Construction work began again in May, the firm said, albeit at a lower level of activity, meaning that Tideway will now be completed nine months later than had originally been anticipated.
The company, which trades as Bazalgette on the stock market, added that the cost of the project now stands at £4.1bn.
In a statement, it said that it was working with Ofwat on a “package of measures” to mitigate the impact of the coronavirus on the project’s finances.
Full agreement on these steps is expected to be reached in the coming months, it said.
An Ofwat spokesperson said: “When the lockdown came, Tideway acted to find a pragmatic balance between protecting water customers, while safeguarding workers and the wider community.
“We are investigating the impact of Covid-19 on the project, which might mean a modest increase in cost. But, if Tideway hadn’t acted when it did, it is likely that the cost and impact on water customers would have been significantly higher than otherwise.”
When the tunnel is finished, Tideway will pass control of the asset to Thames Water, whose customers are funding its construction.