A group of 100 investors is pressing ahead with a £10 billion rescue bid for Thames Water, even as the UK government moves toward nationalising the debt-laden utility.
The creditors are in active discussions with officials from the water regulator Ofwat regarding the proposal, according to reports from The Guardian.
The development complicates the political and financial narrative surrounding the UK's water sector crisis.
While the government has signaled a preference for public ownership to address the company's massive debt burden and environmental failures, the creditors' willingness to inject capital suggests a viable private-sector alternative remains on the table.
The consortium's stance indicates that investors see value in the asset base despite the company's precarious financial position.
Thames Water has been under intense scrutiny for years due to its poor financial health and repeated sewage discharges into rivers and coastal waters.