Manx Utilities Authority
32 FOI requests | Full disclosure rate: 212.5%
The Freedom of Information requests reveal a Manx Utilities Authority (MUA) that is increasingly transparent about high-level environmental and financial risks, yet remains guarded regarding granular operational data and commercial negotiations. Major disclosures have exposed significant environmental liabilities, including the admission that no sewage facilities utilize UV disinfection (Case 2373846) and the calculation of £11.57 million in annual health costs from power station emissions (Case 3951913). The authority has also been candid about operational failures, such as the seawater contamination incident in Douglas (Case 646165) and the lack of data on raw sewage volumes due to telemetry issues (Case 3919250). However, a recurring pattern of obstruction emerges in requests concerning major infrastructure projects like the Peel Sewage Treatment Works and the Cairn Vie windfarm. In these instances, MUA frequently cites 'commercial sensitivity' or claims data is 'not held' to withhold specific cost breakdowns, design plans, and contractor details (Cases 355725, 3843909, 4226913), often directing requesters to public reports that lack the requested specificity.
Key Cases
Case 3951913 — Reveals a staggering estimated annual cost of £11.57 million for non-GHG emissions from power stations, linking utility operations directly to significant public health and social housing impacts, a figure previously unknown to the public.
Case 2373846 — Discloses that zero sewage facilities in the Isle of Man have operational UV disinfection and that approximately 20 combined sewage overflows discharge directly into rivers, raising critical questions about water safety and infrastructure standards.
Case 3843909 — Exposes a significant cost escalation in the windfarm project from £23.5m to £36m, attributed to design changes and contingency margins, highlighting financial volatility in major renewable energy investments.
Case 646165 — Documents a major operational failure where seawater was accidentally pumped into Douglas freshwater pipes, with the authority admitting to costs of £14,723.83 and invoicing the Steam Packet Company, illustrating systemic risks in water management.
Case 2116457 — Uncovers that 27 staff members receive free private health treatment under legacy contracts, sparking a debate on the fairness of public sector benefits and the transparency of 'exemplary' employment costs.
Related FOI Stories
Peel Sewage Treatment Works & Infrastructure Costing — #355725, #355437, #355729, #355733, #355735
Wind Energy Projects: Cairn Vie & Earystane — #3843609, #3843909, #3887629, #3887729, #3939933
Environmental Discharges & Water Quality — #554134, #646165, #902593, #1028829, #1044361
Staff Benefits, Salaries & Employment — #466533, #2116458, #2116457, #2136578, #2143337
Energy Costs, Interconnectors & Smart Meters — #849965, #931113, #1358041, #2295341, #2346933
All (32)
All information sent (68) ·
Some information sent but part exempt (33) ·
Some information sent but not all held (32) ·
Information not held (27) ·
Not upheld (6) ·
No information sent - all held but exempt (6) ·
Not required to fulfill request (4) ·
Decision Notice - Complaint not upheld (2) ·
Vexatious request (1) ·
Upheld - partial (1) ·
Repeated request (1) ·
| Date | Title | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| 2026-02-19 | Work carried out on a property | Some information sent but not all held |
| 2026-02-03 | The cost to produce 1 unit of electricity (1 KW) vs 2021 | Some information sent but not all held |
| The requester asked for the average cost to produce one unit of electricity for 2020 and the most recent year, including a breakdown by generation method. The authority provided links to annual reports for calculating average costs but stated they do not hold full cost-per-kWh data by generation method, offering marginal cost figures instead. | ||
| 2025-12-23 | Risk of asbestos in wind turbine procurement, and risk assessment | Some information sent but not all held |
| A request was made to the Manx Utilities Authority for details on wind turbine procurement activities and asbestos risk assessments since September 2023. The Authority responded on 21 January 2026 stating that some information was sent, but not all requested data was held. | ||
| 2025-11-18 | How many fish died as a result of draining clypse reservoir? | Some information sent but not all held |
| The request sought information on fish mortality and replacement costs due to the draining of Clypse Reservoir. The authority disclosed a risk assessment detailing mitigation strategies to relocate fish rather than kill them, but did not provide specific mortality counts or financial costs. | ||
| 2025-09-09 | Details of MUA attendance at Earthscope | Some information sent but not all held |
| The request sought details regarding Manx Utilities Authority's attendance at Earthscope sustainability training, including costs, staff levels, and correspondence. The authority disclosed the purpose, cost, and attendance patterns but withheld correspondence due to the request being too broad and lacking necessary clarification. | ||
| 2025-07-02 | PFAs, new EU limit and blood test results | Some information sent but not all held |
| The request sought information on PFAS water assessments, EU limit compliance strategies, and blood test data from the Manx Utilities Authority. The authority responded with a partial disclosure, providing a detailed Certificate of Analysis for drinking water samples from Douglas WTW but did not supply the requested strategic or demographic information. | ||
| 2025-06-24 | Onshore wind | Some information sent but not all held |
| The requester sought contracts, meeting minutes, and landowner exclusion records regarding onshore wind site selection by Wardell Armstrong. Manx Utilities disclosed the approved scope of work but confirmed it does not hold minutes or specific documents on landowner invitations, citing Section 11(3)(a) of the Act. | ||
| 2025-04-02 | Cair vie windfarm proposal - Costs to date | Some information sent but not all held |
| A request for a detailed cost breakdown of the Cair Vie windfarm proposal was partially fulfilled by Manx Utilities Authority, which disclosed specific consultancy and supplier costs but withheld project management and travel expenses due to lack of specific data or public availability. | ||
| 2025-04-02 | Cair vie windfarm staffing | Some information sent but not all held |
| The requester asked for staffing numbers, officer time estimates, and involved departments for the Cairn Vie windfarm project. Manx Utilities disclosed that one full-time staff member is allocated to the project and listed the involved departments, but stated they do not hold records of total officer time spent. | ||
| 2024-12-31 | Settlement Agreements | Some information sent but not all held |
| The requester asked for a detailed breakdown of Settlement Agreements issued by Manx Utilities Authority since September 2021, including reasons, compensation figures, and a blank template. The authority disclosed the total number of agreements and aggregate costs by category but withheld individual details due to personal data exemptions and confirmed no standard template is held. | ||
| 2024-12-17 | Electric Vehicle charging pods | Some information sent but not all held |
| A request for detailed data on Isle of Man electric vehicle charging pods, including installation costs, usage statistics, and lifespan justifications, was partially fulfilled by the Manx Utilities Authority. The authority disclosed total pod counts, installation costs, and annual revenue figures but withheld specific usage data and lifespan documentation citing lack of access to third-party databases and absence of held records. | ||
| 2024-12-10 | Insurance or indemnity for customer non-payments and other | Some information sent but not all held |
| The requester asked if Manx Utilities holds insurance to recover unpaid customer debts and for details on other insurance coverage. The authority confirmed it does not hold insurance for customer non-payments, preferring debt management and legal action, but disclosed a list of other broad insurance policies covering property, liability, and infrastructure risks. | ||
| 2024-09-10 | New Interconnector and energy cost | Some information sent but not all held |
| The request sought the budgeted cost and capacity of a new interconnector and the per MWh generation costs for specific Isle of Man power sites. The authority disclosed the interconnector's estimated cost and capacity range, and provided generation costs for CCGT, Energy from Waste, and Diesel, but could not separate costs for individual Diesel stations or provide Hydro data. | ||
| 2024-07-08 | Generation and Expenditure (Electricity) | Some information sent but not all held |
| The request sought data on electricity generation sources, financial expenditure versus income, and costs related to Climate Change Act consultations. The authority provided generation breakdowns and fuel costs, directed the requester to public financial statements for income figures, and stated that no specific consultation costs exist as no directions were issued under the cited Act. | ||
| 2024-06-17 | Releasing Raw Sewage into Peel Bay | Some information sent but not all held |
| A request was made for three years of detailed sewage discharge and defect statistics for Peel Bay, but the authority only provided defect data and partial flow records starting from 2022 due to data format limitations and server failures. | ||
| 2024-04-15 | EV Charge Points | Some information sent but not all held |
| A request for detailed data on EV charge points installed by public bodies was partially fulfilled, with the authority disclosing total procurement costs, annual revenue, and maintenance records while citing data accessibility and technical limitations for withholding specific per-unit revenue and usage rankings. | ||
| 2023-11-21 | Acoustic survey - Earystane & Scard | Some information sent but not all held |
| 2022-08-22 | Annual Electricity Usage Isle of Man | Some information sent but not all held |
| The requester asked for detailed electricity usage data broken down by dwelling type, bedrooms, and occupants for the last 10 years and monthly data for 2019-2021. The Manx Utilities Authority disclosed that they do not hold the specific demographic breakdowns requested but provided aggregate annual and quarterly electricity demand figures in millions of kWh by tariff type. | ||
| 2022-04-26 | Costs of maintaining and servicing Laxey and Baldrine sewage system | Some information sent but not all held |
| The request sought property counts, population estimates, income, and cost breakdowns for the Laxey and Baldrine sewage networks, along with costs for a failed planning application. Manx Utilities provided property and population data based on census figures but refused to disclose specific income and cost breakdowns due to lack of granular data and the substantial compilation required. | ||
| 2022-01-06 | IRIS Sewage system running costs | Some information sent but not all held |
| The request sought total running costs for the IRIS sewage system for 2020/2021, including admin, wages, and maintenance. The authority disclosed energy consumption and costs for pumping stations and the Meary Veg site but refused to provide other cost breakdowns due to the substantial compilation required. | ||
| 2019-11-15 | Laxey Flooding | Some information sent but not all held |
| The requester asked for a presentation and minutes from a public meeting regarding the Laxey flooding; the authority provided the presentation but confirmed they do not hold the minutes, which are being finalized by other departments. | ||
| 2019-08-20 | Manx Utilities replacement of manually read electricity metres | Some information sent but not all held |
| The requester asked for details on the contract to replace manually read electricity meters, including the supplier, value, and tender process. Manx Utilities disclosed that no supply contract has been signed yet, but confirmed a 2018 agreement with Trilliant for the communication network and listed five companies that responded to the tender for that system. | ||
| 2019-07-15 | Ramsey Marina Proposal & Port Evolution and Development (Africa) Ltd | Some information sent but not all held |
| The requester sought correspondence, meeting records, and an initial approach document regarding a proposed Ramsey Marina between Port Evolution and Development (Africa) Ltd and Manx Utilities Authority. The authority confirmed no meetings or correspondence occurred with senior leadership but released a redacted email from May 2018, withholding personal data under absolute exemption. | ||
| 2019-05-17 | Ramsey Marina | Some information sent but not all held |
| The requester asked for correspondence, meeting records, and the timeline of Manx Utilities Authority's awareness regarding the Ramsey Marina proposal involving Mr. Robin Bromley Martin. The authority disclosed that no such correspondence or meetings occurred but confirmed they first learned of the proposal in mid-May 2018 via a third party. | ||
| 2018-04-09 | Glenfaba House site test borings | Some information sent but not all held |
| A request was made for the results and conclusions of test borings at the Glenfaba House site following concerns about late-night work. The Manx Utilities Authority responded by providing technical drilling records and borehole logs, though they noted that not all requested information was held. | ||
| 2018-03-07 | Population Equivalent for proposed Peel STW. | Some information sent but not all held |
| The request sought the Population Equivalent for the proposed Peel sewage treatment works and confirmation that it would not treat effluent from outside Peel and the former Raggatt Tip. The authority disclosed current and estimated population figures but stated it did not hold information confirming the exclusion of external catchment areas as no final designs exist. | ||
| 2017-12-07 | Ballasalla Pumping Station | Some information sent but not all held |
| A request was made regarding the operational history and capacity of the Ballasalla Pumping Station, to which the authority disclosed maintenance records and peak flow data but confirmed it did not hold information on upstream system capacity. | ||
| 2017-10-30 | e-llan annual accounts | Some information sent but not all held |
| A request for the full annual accounts of e-llan Communications Ltd was partially refused because the documents are exempt pending publication by Tynwald, though a link to the Manx Utilities Annual Report containing extracts of e-llan's income and expenditure was provided. | ||
| 2017-09-20 | Feasability of heritage trail closure | Some information sent but not all held |
| The requester asked for feasibility studies and financial details regarding a 42-week closure of the Heritage Trail for construction access. Manx Utilities confirmed no formal feasibility report exists, disclosed that alternative private land routes were deemed unsafe or denied, and withheld personal data regarding landowner contacts. | ||
| 2017-08-14 | Whole life costings for rising mains Peel STW | Some information sent but not all held |
| The request sought whole life costings for rising mains to three proposed Peel sewage treatment works sites. Manx Utilities disclosed costs for two viable options but withheld information for the third site as it was not held, citing commercial and economic interest exemptions for the remaining sensitive data. | ||
| 2017-08-02 | Whole life costings for Peel site 3,knockaloe and Kirk Michael | Some information sent but not all held |
| The request sought whole life costings for sewage works at Peel site 3, Knockaloe, and Kirk Michael; costings were provided for Peel site 3 and Knockaloe, but information for Kirk Michael was withheld as it was not held due to a change in design solution. | ||
| 2017-07-06 | RSTS2 25 year whole life spreadsheets | Some information sent but not all held |
| A request was made for 25-year whole life spreadsheets regarding regional sewage works options for Peel, St Johns, and Central Valley. Manx Utilities Authority released some information but withheld specific budget estimates citing commercial and economic interest exemptions. | ||