Pledge 2 - 100% of electricity used from renewable sources

The chart below shows our transition to 100% “green” electricity. Around a fifth of our needs are renewably generated directly by us or with partners and the remainder is purchased on a renewable tariff backed with REGO certificates. Since October 2021 all electricity we use is from renewable sources.

Our extensive renewable energy installation programme began in 2014 with 70 solar, wind and hydro installations across the region, including Europe’s first commercial floating solar array on Godley Reservoir near Hyde in Manchester.

Generating our own renewable energy in-house, helps protect our water customers from rising power costs. In 2021/22 we had a record year generating 210 GWh of renewable energy through a focus on end-to-end performance of our bioresources operations, which produce electricity, heat and biomethane.

Other notable projects and successes as part of our route to net zero include:

• Hydro-turbine at Oswestry: Installed in 2019, this generates around 2,000,000 kWh per year, reducing the amount of electricity that has to be purchased from the grid which would otherwise cost around £300k. The Feed in Tariff is also received, which is worth a further £140k per year.
• In FY 2021/22 United Utilities had its best ever generation from combined heat and power (CHP) engines and biomethane production, which uses the biogas produced from wastewater treatment. CHP electricity generation provided 17 per cent of total electricity usage, and the biomethane produced is exported to the gas network to off-set natural gas use.  Last year around 50,000 MWh of biomethane was exported, which is enough for 4,000 homes per year (based on the average use per UK home).