{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/water-act-2014/section-1",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/water-act-2014/section-1.json",
  "legislation": "ukpga/2014/21",
  "legislation_title": "Water Act 2014",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/water-act-2014",
  "path": "section/1",
  "kind": "section",
  "number": "1",
  "heading": "Types of water supply licence and arrangements with water undertakers",
  "text": "(1) For section 17A of the Water Industry Act 1991 there is substituted—\n“Water supply licences\n17A (1) The Authority may grant to a person a licence in respect of the use of the supply system of a water undertaker (a “water supply licence”).\n(2) A water supply licence may give the holder of the licence one or more of the following authorisations and combination of authorisations—\n(a) a retail authorisation;\n(b) a wholesale authorisation;\n(c) a restricted retail authorisation;\n(d) a restricted retail authorisation and a supplementary authorisation.\n(3) Schedule 2A makes provision as to the authorisations (including their operation in England and Wales).\n(4) In the case of each of the authorisations, an authorisation to do a thing is an authorisation to do it in accordance with Chapter 2A of Part 3.\n(5) The Authority may exercise the power to grant a water supply licence only in accordance with a general authorisation given by the Secretary of State.\n(6) Before giving a general authorisation as regards the Authority, the Secretary of State must consult the Welsh Ministers.\n(7) References in this Act to a water supply licensee are references to a person that is the holder for the time being of a water supply licence.\nWater supply licences: restrictions on grants\n17AA (1) Before the Authority grants a water supply licence giving a wholesale authorisation, it must consult—\n(a) the Secretary of State;\n(b) the Chief Inspector of Drinking Water;\n(c) the Environment Agency;\n(d) the NRBW.\n(2) Before the Authority grants a water supply licence giving a supplementary authorisation, it must consult—\n(a) the Secretary of State;\n(b) the Chief Inspector of Drinking Water;\n(c) the Environment Agency;\n(d) the Welsh Ministers;\n(e) the Chief Inspector of Drinking Water for Wales if there is one;\n(f) the NRBW.\n(3) A water supply licence may not be granted to a water undertaker.\n(4) A water supply licence may not be granted to a person unless that person is a limited company.\n(5) The restriction in subsection (4) does not apply if the water supply licence gives only—\n(a) a retail authorisation,\n(b) a restricted retail authorisation, or\n(c) a retail authorisation and a restricted retail authorisation.”\n(2) After Schedule 2 to the Water Industry Act 1991 there is inserted the Schedule set out in Schedule 1.\n(3) Schedule 2 (which amends Chapter 2A of Part 3 of the Water Industry Act 1991 which relates to water undertakers' duties to enable operations of water supply licensees) has effect.",
  "extent": null,
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [
    {
      "type": "I",
      "label": "I1",
      "text": "S. 1(1) in force at 1.1.2016 for specified purposes by S.I. 2015/1938, art. 3(a)(i) (with art. 4)"
    },
    {
      "type": "I",
      "label": "I2",
      "text": "S. 1(1) in force at 1.4.2016 for specified purposes by S.I. 2016/465, art. 2(a)(i) (with Sch. 2)"
    },
    {
      "type": "I",
      "label": "I3",
      "text": "S. 1(1) in force at 1.11.2016 in so far as not already in force by S.I. 2016/1007, art. 2(a) (with arts. 3, 4)"
    },
    {
      "type": "I",
      "label": "I4",
      "text": "S. 1(2) in force at 1.1.2016 by S.I. 2015/1938, art. 3(a)(ii)"
    },
    {
      "type": "I",
      "label": "I5",
      "text": "S. 1(3) in force at 1.9.2015 for specified purposes by S.I. 2015/1469, art. 3(a)"
    },
    {
      "type": "I",
      "label": "I6",
      "text": "S. 1(3) in force at 1.9.2015 for specified purposes by S.I. 2015/773, art. 3(a) (with art. 5)"
    },
    {
      "type": "I",
      "label": "I7",
      "text": "S. 1(3) in force at 1.4.2016 for specified purposes by S.I. 2016/465, art. 2(a)(ii) (with Sch. 2)"
    },
    {
      "type": "I",
      "label": "I8",
      "text": "S. 1(3) in force at 1.9.2016 for specified purposes by S.I. 2016/465, art. 3(a) (with Sch. 2)"
    },
    {
      "type": "I",
      "label": "I9",
      "text": "S. 1(3) in force at 30.3.2017 for specified purposes by S.I. 2017/462, art. 2(a)"
    },
    {
      "type": "I",
      "label": "I10",
      "text": "S. 1(3) in force at 1.4.2017 for specified purposes by S.I. 2017/462, art. 3(a)"
    }
  ],
  "outstanding_effects": [],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2014/21/section/1",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-10-29T09:07:35.602503+00:00"
  },
  "licence": "Open Government Licence v3.0",
  "licence_url": "https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/",
  "attribution": "Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives."
}