By Gemma Childe on 20th Jun 2012
Welsh Water has announced it is to invest £1bn over the next three years which could offer 1,500 jobs for those in the construction industry.
The water company, owned by the not-for-profit company Glas Cymru, plans to invest on infrastructure projects in Wales, Herefordshire and Deeside.
It aims to inject more cash into renewable energy projects and maintain its water mains and sewer networks as well as upgrade its treatment works and rebuilding 22 of them.
The firm, which reports that household bills are falling in real terms, will offer new jobs for around a tenth of those working in the building sector in Wales.
Chris Jones, finance director for the company, said:"We can take a long-term perspective. All money we make gets invested back into the business. That's why we're investing more even in difficult times."
Welsh Water (Dŵr Cymru in Welsh) which employs 2,000 staff is also proud that it has not had to impose a hosepipe ban for 23 years.
Mr Jones said that was because leakage was at an all-time low and not just due to amount of rain in Wales.
One project not quite up for discussion yet is finding a way of selling water to drier places of the UK such as the south-east of England.
Jones said it would require a major engineering scheme, including a new reservoir, as the company does not store a huge amount of excess water, and finding a cost-effective way to move it east. He said: "It's technically possible, it's worth considering as an option but it's not a cheap option, it would be expensive to do."