united-utilities-annual-report-2015

UNITED UTILITIES GROUP PLC ANNUAL REPORT AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 2015Stock Code: UU.unitedutilities.comOur natural environmentWe plan far into the future to ensurewe are prepared for the changingnatural environment, most notably theeffects of climate change. With severedry periods becoming increasinglycommon, we must ensure we continueto have resilient water resources andan infrastructure capable of movingwater efficiently around the region.The potential effect of climate changeon our future water resources isincluded in our 25-year Water ResourceManagement Plan. We must seek totackle flooding incidents caused bythe intensive bursts of rainfall, whichare becoming more frequent dueto changing weather patterns, andensure we are able to meet increaseddemand on our sewerage network asthe regional population is expected toincrease. A phased, long-term approachensures that the necessary work can bedelivered whilst not placing too muchpressure on customer bills.We have a responsibility to return waterto the environment safely. Spills fromour network can lead to pollution whichcan damage the natural environmentand could lead to loss of reputationand financial penalties, depending ontheir severity. Our number of seriouspollution incidents has decreased overrecent years and it is an important areaof focus within our 25-year StrategicDirection Statement. The EnvironmentAgency assesses water companies’performance across a basket ofmeasures including pollution and itsoverall assessment is included as oneof our KPIs (see page 33) with all of thepollution sub-measures also reportedwithin our Corporate Responsibilitypages on our website.We can make an important contributionto protecting and enhancing the naturalenvironment by using fewer naturalresources. We have been drivingdown our carbon footprint over thelast decade and have plans to halveemissions by 2035, from a 2005/06starting position. Our greenhouse gasdisclosures can be found on pages104 and 105. Less than 10 per centof our waste goes to landfill and ouruse of recycled products is increasing.We are increasing our renewal energyproduction with plans to furtherincrease this over the longer term,including wind and solar opportunities.This will provide environmental benefitsand add value to shareholders throughenergy cost savings.We can make animportant contributionto protecting andenhancing the naturalenvironment by usingfewer natural resourcesPictured: As part of a £90 million scheme toimprove water quality in the Manchester ShipCanal, we took ownership of ‘Gloria’, a 140tonne tunnel-boring machine used to dig a700 metre long tunnel underneath TraffordPark.SHAREHOLDER INFORMATION FINANCIAL STATEMENTS GOVERNANCE STRATEGIC REPORT25