Who owns Thames Water? Thames Water is the UK’s largest water company, providing clean water and wastewater services for more than 15.5 million people in and around London.
Currently, Thames Water is a private company. However, in the face of rising customer bills and company debts, there is a growing campaign for the water supplier to be brought into public ownership.
Who owns Thames Water in 2025?
Thames Water is currently a private company. It is directly controlled by parent company Kemble Water Holdings Limited, which is in turn owned by a group of institutional investors, including pension funds and sovereign wealth funds.
The largest shareholder is a Canadian pension fund called the Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System. The second largest is a UK-based pension scheme for university academics called the Universities Superannuation Scheme.
Who wants to buy Thames Water?
Currently, there is no buyer lined up for Thames Water. However, there is growing pressure on the UK government to take permanent control of Thames Water. As the company’s debts continue to grow, it seems increasingly likely that the government will have to take control of the company temporarily through a process called Special Administration.
This will place the company under temporary public ownership, which some groups would like to become a permanent nationalisation.
One such group is Unison, the UK’s largest union. With more than 1.3 million members, including many in both water services and government, Unison is a powerful voice for the actual employees of Thames Water. In a statement made earlier this year, the union made it clear that ‘It’s time for the government to step in and bring Thames Water into full public ownership.’
A number of MPs have also pledged support for re-nationalising Thames Water, including former Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn.
How much would it cost for the government to buy Thames Water?
Previously, it has been estimated that it would cost the UK government £99bn to regain ownership of Thameswater.
However, think tank Common Wealth argues that this figure came from a report paid for by water companies. Its experts believe that, because of the company’s high levels of debt, the real cost would be effectively zero.
This is based on the company’s ‘Appropriate Value’ in law. Common Wealth argues that, because of Thames Water’s failure to meet standards set by the water regulator Ofwat, as well as the company’s high level of debt, the real value of Thames Water is nothing. Therefore, the UK government should be able to take permanent ownership at no cost to the taxpayer.
I’m a Thames Water customer – can I switch my supplier?
One of the other major arguments for nationalised water supply is the fact that UK water companies currently operate a monopoly.
If you live in Thames Water’s service area, you have no choice but to pay Thames Water for your clean water and wastewater services.
Critics argue this leaves water companies with little motivation to improve services, instead working to maximise investor profits at the cost of improving infrastructure and keeping customer bills low.
Top tip! Want to save on your water bills? Here are 15 easy ways to save water at home
