Victorian Desalination Plant

Desalination Plants in Australia

Location	Wonthaggi, Victoria
Estimated Output	410 megalitres per day
Extended Output	550 megalitres per day
Estimated Cost (A$)	$3.5 billion
Proposed Energy Generation Offset	Windfarm at Glenthompson
Proposed Technology	Reverse Osmosis
Percent of Water Supply	Estimated 33% of Melbourne

File:Wonthaggi desalination plant location map.png

Location map of the proposed site

The Wonthaggi Desalination Plant (also referred to as the Victorian Desalination Project) is a water desalination plant currently under construction on the Bass Coast near Wonthaggi, in southern Victoria, Australia, scheduled to be completed by the end of 2011. When completed, the plant will be an integral part of Victoria's water system, supplying water via a series of existing and proposed pipelines.

The desalination plant was promoted through the late 2000s in response to the water restrictions and population growth as being part of the Victorian Government's "Our Water, Our Future" water plan. Marketing material was via print, digital and television advertisements, and included other associated projects such as the North-South Pipeline, the Cardinia Pipeline and a proposed interconnector to Geelong.

The plant site is about 500 metres inland and associated infrastructure will include tunnels connecting the plant to marine intake and discharge structures up to 1.2 km out to sea, an 85 kilometre pipeline to connect the plant to Melbourne's water supply system, and power supply infrastructure for the plant. The plant is intended to provide up to 150 gigalitres of additional water per year, with the potential to expand production to 200 gigalitres per year.

The project has encountered a campaign of opposition from community groups and local residents, and the Australian Greens. Regular public rallies have been conducted on the site and in Melbourne since its proposal. One community group Your Water, Your Say was sent bankrupt following a lost legal case and pursued legal costs after the group legally pursued the Victorian Government over lack of reports and consultation. The case centred on initial water requirement figures, feasibility studies and environmental effects reports amongst other issues. More recently, a new opposition group Watershed Victoria, has continued the opposition campaign.

Background and project history

The disbanding of the Melbourne and Metropolitan Board of Works in 1992 transferred control over the planning process regarding major water and sewerage construction projects to developers. This process came under increased criticism during initial feasibility studies and assessments of Melbourne's water supply and the desalination plant.

By June 2007, the Victorian Government released its water management strategy marketed as Our Water Our Future. As part of the plan, the government announced its intention to develop a seawater reverse osmosis desalination plant to "augment Melbourne's water supply, as well as other regional supply systems."

The total average inflow into Melbourne dams from 1913 to 1996 was 615GL per year, whilst average inflow 1997-2009, during the most severe drought ever recorded in Victoria, it was 376GL per year. Rapid population growth has also put pressure on reserves. Reserves in the state's water storage dams have been decreasing since 1998, to around a third of maximum capacity. Consequently, water restrictions have been in place for several years.

Increased Winter-Spring rains since 2007 took water storages above 40%. In early September 2010, many regions around the state flooded for the first time since the drought began in the late 1990s, prompting some to define the end of the drought in Victoria.

Proposal

Little Powlett River and rig near Wonthaggi desalination plant

File:Cardinia Pipeline.png

Map of the proposed Cardinia Pipeline

A two-headed marine structure extending up to 2 km offshore will be constructed. It is estimated that the plant will take in 480 billion litres of seawater and pump back 280 billion litres of saline concentration every year.

Associated infrastructure includes tunnels connecting the plant to marine intake and discharge structures, an 85 km pipeline to connect the plant to Melbourne's existing distribution network at Berwick, and power supply infrastructure for the plant. Water will enter the City water supply system through Cardinia Reservoir.

A windfarm located at Glenthompson is proposed to be built to offset the electricity used by the plant.

The plant is intended to operate at full capacity for a number of years until Melbourne's dams exceed 65% capacity.

Estimated water production is 150 billion litres (150 gigalitres) of desalinated water per year, potentially capable of providing around a third of Melbourne's annual water consumption based on 2007 consumption levels. It is intended that the water produced will be supplied to Melbourne, Geelong, Western Port and South Gippsland.

When completed, the desalination plant would represent the largest addition to Melbourne's water system since the addition of the Thomson River Dam in 1983.

Environmental effects studies

In August 2008, a 1600-page environmental effects study report was prepared and found that; "...several protected species could be affected by the plant's construction and operation — including the orange-bellied parrot, the growling grass frog and the giant Gippsland earthworm — but none would be left "significantly" worse off.". The community was given 30 business days to read, study and prepare responses to the 1600-page report. Watershed Victoria claimed that this was insufficient time for community groups to analyse the report and prepare submissions.

Contract to build and operate

There were eight tenderers for win the contract. [1] Two consortia were short-listed for the construction and operation of the plant — AquaSure (Thiess/Suez) and BassWater (John Holland/Veolia Environmental).

On 30 June 2009, the consortium AquaSure, which is made up of Degremont, Macquarie Capital and Thiess, was chosen as the winning bidder. Simultaneously, it was announced that construction was scheduled to commence in late 2009, proposing that water be delivered by late 2011.

Location

Bass Coast region of Victoria, indicated in yellow

Nine sites were included in the "long list" in the feasibility study. These were "short listed" to four (Surf Coast, East of Port Philip Bay, West of Western Port, and Bass Coast). The Bass Coast was chosen as the premium location. Compulsory acquisition notices were issued to affected residents on 25 January 2008.

The proposed site is a 20 hectare site adjacent to Williamsons Beach on the Bass Coast in south eastern Victoria. It is between Wonthaggi and Kilcunda and near the Powlett River at 38°35′19″S 145°30′47″E. It is located on Bunurong land and many significant archaeological artefacts have previously been discovered around the construction site, including a significant fossil site on a nearby coastline.

Costing

• The capital cost for the project was initially estimated to be $2.9 billion in the initial feasibility study, this was later revised to $3.1 billion and then to $3.5 billion. After the winning bidder was announced it was revised to $4 billion.

• Operating costs are to be charged by a private firm over a 25–30 year period and are estimated to be around $1.5 billion. This includes labour, replacement of membranes, chemicals costs and energy, and were initially estimated at $132 million per annum. Unlike previous water infrastructure works in Melbourne, the plant will be built and operated as a public-private partnership.

A report by the Water Services Association of Australia conducted in 2008, modelling several national water-supply scenarios for 2030, determined that sourcing water supply from seawater desalination was the most energy-intensive. The report predicted that if desalination became the primary source of supplying around 300 litres per person per day, energy usage would rise by 400% above today's levels.

On 12 December 2009 The Age newspaper published details of considerable areas of land made cheaply available to the plant's developers without the value of such land being included in the project's official costs.

• The average water bill for residents living in Melbourne is estimated to rise by around 64% over the next 5 years. Water price plans released by the Essential Services Commission illustrate that metropolitan water providers will charge between 87 per cent and 96 per cent more for water. Water Minister Tim Holding, has stated that; "Melbourne residents need to help pay for major water infrastructure projects, such as the desalination plant and the Sugarloaf (North South) pipeline."

• Comparatively, the Kwinana Desalination Plant in Perth was completed in 2006, has roughly 30–50% the output of the Wonthaggi plant, however, it cost $387 million to build and did not include an 85kM pipeline and windfarm.

Energy consumption

The plant is estimated to require between 90 and 120MW of electricity to operate. Additional energy will be required to pump the desalinated water from Wonthaggi to Cardinia Reservoir in Melbourne.

A commitment was made to invest in renewable energy to offset the power the plant uses in an attempt to make it carbon neutral.

Construction

The Victorian Government estimate approximately 4,745 full-time equivalent jobs will be generated by the project over the two-year construction period. Construction work officially began on October 6, 2009.

Opposition

Parliament House, Melbourne

Several community groups as well as the Australian Greens oppose to the project. Some groups claimed that the general public remain unaware of the proposed privatisation of the water resource. In an article written by Kenneth Davidson in late 2009, he explains; "the government relies on a weak opposition, and a general public apathy and the diabolical complexity of the arrangements to avoid public scrutiny."

Watershed Victoria also opposes the project. The community group Your Water Your Say was one of the first organised opposition groups and legally pursued the government in relation to claims the group made concerning the plant. The government pursued legal costs, which sent the group bankrupt.

Public rallies and protests have been held both at the site in Wonthaggi and in Melbourne on Spring Street outside the State Parliament buildings throughout 2007, 2008 and 2009. In July 2008, a group of around 50 people conducted a rally on the site, several people were removed from Crown land, none were arrested.

In June 2009, a petition including 3,000 signatories opposing the plant was presented to the Victorian Parliament.

Your Water Your Say v Minister for the Environment, Heritage and the Arts

Your Water Your Say (YWYS) opposed the proposal, taking legal action against the Victorian State Government regarding non-disclosure of financial information and lack of environmental studies and reports. As of July 2008 YWYS lost the action, and the Federal Court awarded costs to the State Government estimated to be up to $200,000, effectively rendering the community group broke. YWYS was subsequently disbanded.

In their submission response to the EES, YWYS stated: "The Federal and State Governments are aware that YWYS is unlikely to be in a position to pay its significant legal costs and hence their apparent inability to make a decision on this front can only be interpreted as an attempt to further avoid community scrutiny of this project."

Sharing of private information with private consortia

In December 2009, it was revealed that private information obtained by Victoria Police during surveillance efforts on individuals involved or corresponding with YWYS, Watershed Victoria and other community groups, had been made available to the private consortium building the desalination plant, Aquasure, via a memorandum between the State Government, Victoria Police and Aquasure. Victoria Police responded by explaining that the information would be used to better "manage" future activities and potential "security threats".

Timeline

2007

• June 19 – the Victorian Government announces its intention to develop a seawater reverse osmosis desalination plant on the coast near Wonthaggi. The plant is explained to be part of a water plan marketed as Our Water Our Future.
• December 28 – the Minister for Planning for the Victorian Government determines that the project would require assessment under the Environment Effects Act 1978 and preparations for an Environment Effects Statement (EES) begin.

2008

• January 25 – Compulsory acquisition notices issued to the residents of the proposed site.
• February 4 – the Federal Government determines that the project will have to require approval under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act).
• February 21–March 13 – draft scoping requirements for the EES placed on public exhibition.
• May 4 – final scoping requirements for the EES issued.
• June 13 – Justice Heerey awards costs to the Federal and State Governments a result of the action – Your Water Your Say v Minister for the Environment, Heritage and the Arts & Anor; Federal Court Proceeding VID188/2008.
• July 5 – The plant is addressed during the Climate Emergency Rally at various locations in Melbourne.
• 100m of coastline is landscaped to alter the flow of Powlett River.
• August 20–September 30 – Environment Effects Statement (EES) released for public comment by the State Government, community given 5 weeks to submit responses to the 1,600-page report.

2009

• January 11 – Planning Minister, Justin Madden, approved a planning scheme amendment to allow for a pilot desalination plant to come into effect on the 17 January.
• July 30 – Winning bidder for construction announced.
• October 6 – Construction commenced.

2010

• February 4 – First sections of the new pipeline are laid

2011

• Production and related operations expected to commence by end of year

2035–2045

• Contract for the operation of the plant expected to expire.

Photos

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  Construction of pipeline to Melbourne from Wonthaggi desalination plant
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  Construction of pipeline to Melbourne from Wonthaggi desalination plant
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  Wonthaggi desalination plant construction in progress
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  Little Powlett River and rig near Wonthaggi desalination plant
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  Little Powlett River estuary near site of Wonthaggi desalination plant

See also

• List of desalination plants in Australia
• Reverse osmosis plant

External links

• Victorian Government Desalination Project Site
• Partnerships Victoria Summary Page