Thames to Southern Transfer Project
The Thames to Southern Transfer project has been officially recognised by the Government as Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project. This means it will follow a special approval process called a Development Consent Order that is designed for major infrastructure projects, helping us move forward more efficiently.
The South East Strategic Reservoir Option is a separate project that will provide the source of water for the Thames to Southern transfer.
According to the Environment Agency, the South East needs to find an extra 2.5 billion litres of water a day by 2050 to maintain supplies. That’s why we’re investing in new sources of water, such as the Thames to Southern Transfer project that will allow us to move water from a new reservoir in Oxfordshire and transfer it to our supply in Hampshire, where it’s needed.
It’s one of a number of projects that will help secure future water supplies and reduce our reliance on Hampshire’s rare and delicate chalk stream rivers - the Test and Itchen - helping to protect these vital habitats, especially during droughts when river levels are low.
We plan to build a new water supply works to treat the water taken from a planned new reservoir in Oxfordshire before being transferred to our supply network. This will be built on land to the west of the A34 near Drayton, next to the new reservoir at the point where water is taken.
The reservoir, known as the South East Strategic Reservoir Option (SESRO) is being developed by Thames Water, with contributions from Southern Water and Affinity Water. It’s expected to be complete by 2040 and will be capable of holding 150 billion litres of water.
Following treatment at the water supply works, water would then be pumped through up to 85km of new pipeline to several connections in Hampshire. Connections will also be provided to Thames Water at Newbury and South East Water at Basingstoke.
Over the next several years, we will be running detailed investigations and assessment to find the best route for the new pipeline. We’ll also be speaking to the local community in detail about our plans and running a formal consultation.
