HARP - Amberside Advisors to provide assurance services on £3bn Haweswater Aqueduct Resilience Programme

Amberside Advisors has been jointly appointed by United Utilities and Cascade Infrastructure Ltd to provide regulatory and financial modelling assurance for the circa £3 billion Haweswater Aqueduct Resilience Programme (HARP) - the first major infrastructure project to be delivered under Ofwat’s new Direct Procurement for Customers (DPC) model.

The landmark scheme, whose financial close was announced in August 2025, will see the full refurbishment of the 110-kilometre Haweswater Aqueduct, which transports 570 million litres of drinking water every day from the Lake District to more than 2.5 million customers across Cumbria, Lancashire and Greater Manchester. Originally constructed between 1933 and 1955, the 70-year-old aqueduct is being upgraded to safeguard reliable, high-quality water supplies for future generations.

The contract delivered under the DPC framework has been awarded by United Utilities to Cascade Infrastructure Ltd – a joint venture between Equitix and STRABAG, with investment from GLIL Infrastructure – the pension fund representing London and Lancashire public sector works. Cascade Infrastructure Ltd will design, build, finance, and maintain the new aqueduct sections over a 25-year period. Construction, led by STRABAG UK, is expected to begin in 2026 and the build phase is planned to run over nine years, creating up to 1,200 jobs at peak and supporting a comprehensive apprenticeship programme across the North West.

The project has also received a £300 million Credit Enhancement Guarantee from the National Wealth Fund, helping to mobilise private investment and underpin delivery of this nationally significant infrastructure.

Amberside Advisors’ role

Amberside Advisors’ appointment reflects its proven capability in delivering high-quality regulatory and financial assurance across complex, multi-party infrastructure projects. Amberside team is tasked with providing independent review and assurance of project charges and also related finance costs incurred by Cascade Infrastructure Ltd during the construction phase.

Independent review and assurance will be undertaken on a periodic and regular basis and will also include other assurance activities as required. Amberside Advisors’ review will ensure alignment with both DPC regulatory requirements and the associated contracts.

Neil Rutledge, Director at Amberside Advisors, commented:

“For this first project delivered through the DPC model, Amberside Advisors is delighted to have been selected to deliver the high-quality assurance services essential to proving the DPC concept in practice.

We recognise that the essential upgrade of the UK’s infrastructure needs new delivery models, and our prior experience in project finance models combined with our assurance capabilities made us a natural partner for an appointment agreed jointly by United Utilities, and Cascade Infrastructure Ltd .”

Amberside Advisors brings extensive experience in providing revenue direction and financial assurance services across pioneering infrastructure delivery models. This includes work on the £5 billion Thames Tideway project, the first scheme delivered under Ofwat’s Specified Infrastructure Project Regulations, and the first revenue direction for new transmission assets connecting Hinkley Point C to the grid - a key precursor to Ofgem’s forthcoming Competitively Appointed Transmission Owner (CATO) programme.

Through its appointment on HARP, Amberside Advisors continues to support innovation and value for money across UK infrastructure investment, helping to build confidence in new models that enable sustainable and resilient assets for the future.