IPART sets the maximum prices that WaterNSW can charge customers for water transportation services provided by the Murray River to Broken Hill Pipeline.
We also set the maximum prices that Essential Water can charge its customers for water and wastewater services.
The prices we set for both reviews will apply from 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2031.
We have published our Draft Report
Under our draft decisions, the annual bill for WaterNSW's Pipeline services to Essential Water would increase by about 20% plus inflation. However, this bill is expected to continue to be covered by the NSW Government. This means the price increase would not be passed on to Essential Water customers for the coming pricing period.
Offtake customers would see annual bills increase by between 3% and 11% plus inflation depending on water usage.
In reaching our draft decisions, we considered:
- the factors under the IPART Act we are required to take into account
- expert advice from HoustonKemp on WaterNSW’s efficient capital and operating expenditure in delivering water transportation services
- all feedback we received from stakeholders at our Public Hearing, through submissions to our Issues Paper and from responses to our Issues Paper survey.
Our draft decisions aim to balance customer affordability with the need to protect services by providing WaterNSW with adequate funding to meet its regulatory obligations and deliver customer outcomes in relation to its water transportation services.
We are seeking feedback on our draft decisions
You can have your say by making a submission to our Draft Report before 28 April 2026. We will consider all feedback received before making our final decisions on the maximum prices WaterNSW can charge for its water transportation services. We will release our Final Report in May 2026 and the prices we set will apply from 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2031.