South East Water requests referral of its Final Determination to the Competition and Markets Authority

South East Water requests referral of its Final Determination to the Competition and Markets Authority for a redetermination.

South East Water (SEW) today (18 February 2025) announced that it has asked Ofwat to refer its PR24 Final Determination to the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) for review.

The PR24 Business plan remains the company’s most ambitious plan ever. It detailed a proposed investment of £1.9bn over five years with goals to improve customer service, reduce customer supply interruptions and strengthen network resilience

In the Final Determination, the Board believes that the response does not address our company specific circumstances and external challenges, such as concerns over water security for our customers and climate change resilience.

The Board of SEW is unanimous in its conclusion to seek the only redress it now has available in the regulatory process, being an independent review by the CMA.

Commenting on the decision, SEW Chairman, Chris Train said: “Asking for the Final Determination to be referred to the Competition and Markets Authority for redetermination is not a decision we took lightly. We have scrutinised the Final Determination and agree unanimously that in its current format, it presents a risk to water security for our customers in the region.”