§ Lord BachMy honourable friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence (Mr Ivor Caplin) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.
I am pleased to announce that the Ministry of Defence has awarded a contract for Project Aquatrine, Package C, to Coast to Coast Water Ltd (C2C), a consortium comprising Severn Trent Water plc and Costain. This contract covers the operation and maintenance of the department's water and wastewater assets and infrastructure in the north and east of England.
The contract forms one of three such packages of Project Aquatrine, a 25-year arrangement worth £2.3 billion across three packages that cover the MoD's estate in Great Britain. The project is one of the Government's most significant public/private partnership (PPP) projects, and will enable the transfer of environmental risk to those in the private sector who are best placed to manage it. This will enable the MoD to focus on its core activities.
Following a pre-commencement period, Coast to Coast Water Ltd will commence services in March 2005.