The Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal (IPART) has invited public comment on proposals from Sydney Water, WaterNSW and Hunter Water to increase expenditure over the next four and five years.
Chair of IPART, Paul Paterson said that issues papers had been prepared and the focus was to ensure that any expenditure provided worthwhile benefits for customers.
“Both Sydney Water and WaterNSW are proposing significant increases in capital expenditure, up by 68 per cent for Sydney Water and about 150 per cent for WaterNSW,” Dr Paterson said.
“We will need to consider how these different proposals sit together to form a consistent view about what customers should pay,” he said.
“We also need to strike a balance so that Sydney Water and WaterNSW promote better environmental outcomes, encourage the efficient conservation of water and effectively plan for the future.”
Dr Paterson said Hunter Water planed to increase both expenditure and water bills over the next five years.
He said for a typical apartment, bills would rise from $984 in 2019-20 to $1,316 in 2024-25, which is $179 or 18.2 per cent above the rate of inflation.
“The proposed increases in capital expenditure may have long-term impacts on bills, which could worsen if interest rates rise,” Dr Paterson said.
He said to help customers understand the impact of the proposals, a bill calculator for Sydney water and Hunter Water was available on IPART’s website.
The issues papers are also available on IPART’s website at this PS News link.
