RAPID is a partnership between the three water regulators – Ofwat, the Environment Agency (EA) and the Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI).
We work with stakeholders, taking opportunities to improve regulation and remove barriers, helping the sector respond to long term water resources challenges while promoting the best interests of water users, society and the environment.
The RAPID programme is intended to benefit both England and Wales.
‘The innovative nature of RAPID allows three regulators to come together, collaborate and work with water companies to better understand challenges and manage risks. Ultimately, we want the sector to drive forward solutions that contribute to resilient water supplies that enhance the environment, deliver value for money, meet the needs of public health and protect customers over the long term.’
Paul Hickey, Managing Director, RAPID
RAPID’s role
RAPID was set up to identify and address issues relevant to the development of joint infrastructure projects and to analyse the feasibility of nationally strategic supply schemes. Our programme was increased to 28 schemes in Price Review 2024, and we are supporting water companies to pursue exploration of further options to be added to the pipeline in the future.
This new infrastructure will help meet the water needs set out by the NIC in the ‘Preparing for a Drier Future’ report and later in the Environment Agency’s National Framework for England.
We know that too much or too little rain has devastating effects on communities, businesses and the environment. RAPID will use the strategic supply solutions to identify opportunities to integrate approaches to water management, supporting sustainable development.
This includes explicitly considering the potential to reduce flood risk alongside increasing resilience to drought. The options developed will also help to aid nature recovery, deliver environmental net gain, and make use of nature-based solutions where appropriate.
RAPID is currently working alongside the five regional water resources planning groups, to ensure that we have timely delivery of new infrastructure. Where necessary, we assist the regulators in identifying and overcoming potential regulatory and commercial barriers.
RAPID’s history
The Regulators’ Alliance for Progressing Infrastructure Development (RAPID) was set up in 2019.
That year, the National Infrastructure Commission estimated that new water supplies equivalent to the water consumed by over nine million people would be needed by the mid 2030s in their report, Preparing for a drier future. In addition, the first National Framework for Water Resources was published by the Environment Agency outlining the projected water deficit in England and Wales by 2050.
Responding to the scale of the challenge, RAPID was formed to help facilitate the development and funding of new large scale strategic water supply options by the water companies.
RAPID’s governance
RAPID provides advice and recommendations to the partner regulators – the DWI, Ofwat, the Environment Agency, and to Natural Resources Wales.
The RAPID Board is chaired by Ofwat and comprises members from the senior leadership teams of the partner regulators. The RAPID Board approves the workplan and strategy, and provides oversight and guidance of RAPID’s programme of work.
You can view RAPID’s Forward Programme 25-26 here and Annual Progress Review for 24-25 here.
Major Water Infrastructure Programme: combined gated process
In March 2026, RAPID began transitioning SROs to a new combined gated process that brings together the RAPID gates and Ofwat’s Major Projects stages under the Major Water Infrastructure Programme. Some schemes will move across gradually as part of this transition. Find out more here.
The Major Water Infrastructure Programme (MWIP) includes the 30 large-scale water infrastructure projects set out at PR24. The new MWIP combined gated process brings together RAPID’s oversight of early project development and Ofwat’s Major Projects team’s regulation of later stage delivery. RAPID and Ofwat’s Major Projects team continue to carry out their regulatory roles, now operating using this single, combined process that reduces duplication and helps critical infrastructure progress at pace while protecting customers and the environment.