Arup Binnies Joint Venture will work with Thames Water’s strategic resource options (SRO) team to deliver technical services in engineering design, environmental assessment, planning, and land access and acquisition.
Should Thames Water secure government approval, Arup Binnies will work on the development consent order (DCO) application for submission in 2026. If granted, construction could begin in 2029 with completion in 2040.
The planned reservoir, dubbed South East Strategic Reservoir Option, or SESRO, is expected to provide a secure water supply to 15 million customers in the Thames Water, Southern Water and Affinity Water catchments from 2040, if it gets planning approval.
Thames Water forecasts that across London and the Thames Valley it will need an extra 1 billion litres of water every day by 2050, with two million more people expected to live in London and the Thames Valley.
SESRO will cover a surface area of 6.7 sq km and hold 150 million cubic metres of water.
Thames Water head of procurement Mohit Farmah said: “This supply chain of technical experts with global reach will ensure our reservoir proposals are not only compliant with the Planning Act 2008 but are also developed to a world-class standard. SESRO is a nationally significant infrastructure project that has a crucial role to play in the health and wellbeing of 15 million people, the economy and the environment. I have every confidence this partnership will help us to secure that future.”
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