Thames Water: Debt-riddled UK water firm launches plan to raise up to £3bn in emergency funding to avoid nationalisation

The struggling UK water firm has put forward the deal amid efforts to restructure its significant debt pile. Chris Weston, chief executive of the water supplier, said the transaction would deliver “further progress to put Thames Water onto a more stable financial footing as we seek a long-term solution” to its financial troubles.

It said it only has £500 million in cash to support the company, as well as another £500 million for its reserves and compensation payments. The water firm is currently in the grip of a funding crisis and previously said it only has enough cash to continue operating until May 2025.

It also has more than £15 billion of debt, and regulator Ofwat has said it intends to appoint an independent monitor to supervise the company as it attempts a turnaround. However, today (Friday 25 October) it said it has brokered a deal with some of its creditors for the transaction to “extend its liquidity runway”.

It said the deal would involve an initial £1.5 billion, supported by a number of its creditors. There would be capacity for a further £1.5 billion, across two tranches of £750 million, if Thames Water makes an appeal to the Competition and Market Authority (CMA) regulator over its final determination for the water sector.

The CMA is expected to confirm in December how much it will allow water companies to increase their bills by over the next five years. Water firm have requested increases which would see the average consumer bill in England and Wales rise by 40% between now and 2030, costing £615 per year. Thames Water has called for its customers to face a 53% increase.

Sir Adrian Montague, chairman of Thames Water, said: “The board and leadership team remain focused on stabilising the business, and today’s announcement is an important step in the process to increase its long-term financial resilience. There will be further stages and we will continue to work collaboratively with our many stakeholders as we look to attract new equity into the business and seek a final determination that enables the delivery of our ambitious business plan for the next five years.”

Mr Weston added: “We are working closely with and have the support of our creditors, enabling Thames to continue to implement our turnaround plan so that we can deliver better results for our customers and the environment whilst seeking to attract new capital into the business. In the meantime, our teams on the ground continue to supply our services to our 16 million customers every day.”