Pennon Group Plc (PNN) Q2 2024 Earnings Call

Investor webinar replay

Replay transcript excerpt

Good morning, I'm Susan Davey, Chief Executive of Pennon. Welcome to our half-year results presentation for 2023-24. Today, we're at a brand new state-of-the-art research centre here in Exeter, a joint venture between ourselves and the University, established to investigate and explore solutions to issues we find in the natural environment. We have recently opened the doors to the first project, so the pipeline is ready to come through, helping us tackle the most pressing challenges in the environment and the water cycle, right here, right now. We're all excited about the joint venture, a first of a kind in the UK, and every thought has gone into what it will achieve and how we will work. Even down to the building design. As we look outside, you'll see the representation of the importance of water flowing over earth with circular windows reflecting rising air bubbles. It was also important to ensure we had an example of a living net zero building in operation, which we have achieved through a combination of air source heat pumps, high thermal efficiency panels, solar panels and LED lighting. Inside the Centre for Resilience in Environment, Water and Waste, or CRWU for short, we are bringing together the best minds from across the disciplines of geography, biosciences, engineering, economics and psychology. Yes, we are here in Exeter, but through the university, we have a global research centre with a laboratory working to resolve some of the most pressing global challenges in the sector, like tackling microplastics with a dedicated microplastics research lab and understanding how we can better tackle pollution in the natural environment. I believe that Crewe will become a positive beacon of change for the sector, not just locally, but nationally and globally, and in ...