Scottish regulator to run Open Water programme

The Water Industry Commission for Scotland (WICS) is set to be appointed as Ofwat’s official “delivery partner” for opening the English water market to competition for non-domestic customers in 2017, Utility Week can reveal.

WICS chief executive Alan Sutherland has played a key role in the market opening to date, sitting on the board of Open Water Markets Limited (OMWL), the body created to manage the programme.

It was announced in August that OWML was to be wound down by the end of this year and the programme taken back into Ofwat.

Discussions are now progressing for a protocol that would see WICS act as Ofwat’s delivery partner in four key areas: the work on codes and processes; the establishment and finessing of the market operator; communication and engagement; and maintaining the work plans.

Certain other areas – the licensing framework, charging, questions of who is eligible to participate in the market – remain under Ofwat’s direct control.

The protocol, which is not yet signed, will be subject to agreement by the WICS’ board.

In an interview with Utility Week, Sutherland said: “It’s entirely sensible that there be collaborative working between regulators.”

For the full story, plus Sutherland’s comments on the blueprint for the market, the Market Architecture Plan 2, see this week’s Utility Week.

The interview will be published online following the publication of the MAP2 on Thursday.