South East Water, which serves Kent, Sussex and the Hampshire, Berkshire and Surrey region, saw “significant increases in the cost of power, chemicals and other energy intensive products” in the year to 31 March 2023, according to the company’s annual financial report.
The company saw its energy costs increase by nearly a third, to £29.300 million, up from £20.858 million the previous year. The cost of chemicals saw a similar increase, from £4.037 million to £6.492 million.
Total operating costs increased from £184.364 million to £228.412 million