Water. Desalination + reuse
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22 In Site December 2018 Water.desalination+reuse Australia is de ned by extremes. The impact of severe drought and climate change since the turn of the century has prompted many major cities there to construct large-scale seawater desalination plants. These plants provide a valued source of drinking water that is independent of rainfall. There are six plants in total, spread across ve of the nation's six states. The rst, a 45 gigalitre a year (123,288 m3/d) capacity facility in Western Australia's coastal capital city of Perth, was completed in 2006. Three more large plants followed: Sydney Desalination Plant in New South Wales, at 90 gigalitres a year (246,600 m3/d), in 2010; and in 2012, the 100 gigalitre-a-year (274,000 m3/d) facility in South Australia's capital Adelaide, and the Victorian Desalination Plant, in the city of Dalyston, at 150 gigalitres annual capacity (411,000 m3/d). All of Australia's desalination projects have attracted their fair share of controversy from the outset — requiring multi-billion dollar investments, and involv- ing an energy-intensive produc- tion process, as well as construc- tion in coastal locations — but criticism has tended to intensify as the plants wind down when rainfall comes at higher-than- predicted levels. Critics called Sydney's AUD 2.3 billion ($1.67 billion) plant, which has been in standby mode since 2010, "a nancial disaster built in a panic". The AUD 1.2 billion ($870,000) Gold Coast fa- cility at Tugun, Queensland, has remained mostly o› ine since it openedVictoria only fully red up its resource in 2017. The country's only clear desalination success story is in Western Aus- tralia, where two plants provide around 50 per cent of drinking water for the communities in and around the city of Perth. Australian state water authorities, and some climate scientists, defend the plants as a critical insurance policy against the growing scarcity of water, arguing that they will be needed sooner or later, given the impact of climate change and the rising population. "Desalination plants represent a signi cant invest- ment in assets, and combined with growing communities, and climate forecasts that are predicting less rainfall rather than more, we are likely to see increased use of desalination," explains Dean Toomey, director for water at consultancy WSP Australia and New Zealand. "On top of this, there have been very few dams of any signi cance constructed in Australia in the past decade, so everything points to desalination featuring more prominently," he says. Further, running costs could come down as Australia increases its reliance on cheaper renewable sources of energy and if plants are operated to provide a more consistent "base load" of water, and are not only relied upon for emergency supplies, Toomey adds. Desalination: the water Australians have had an on-off relationship with desalination — now water scarcity is stregthening the hand of the pro-desal lobby SENTIMENT SHIFT • Water orders are going up in size • Average storage levels in dams are falling • New desalination plant projects are proposed for the future As Water. desalination + reuse went to press, during Australia's spring months September to No- vember 2018, New South Wales and parts of Queensland were in drought, and South Australia and Victoria had extreme dry weather. The conditions were driving demand for desalina- tion: Sydney was preparing to reactivate its plant if water storage levels in the city's dam dropped below a critical 60 per cent trigger point; and the water order for Victorian Desalination Plant looked likely to rise to 100 gigalitres a year (274,000 m3/d) from April 2019, and 125 gigali- tres a year (342,500 m3/d) from April 2020. "Plants across the country will be more actively used in the future. Studies show Victoria has been less supportive of desalination than other states, but sentiment may start to shi¢ as dam storage decreases," says Daniel Lambert, Australasia wa- ter leader at Arup. "Plants will start to be turned back on." Changing attitudes are also re¤ ected in preparations to invest in new resources in the foreseeable future. The utility Water Corporation, of Western Australia, is investigating the construction of a third plant in the state, at Alkimos, a coastal suburb of Perth. And a new desalination plant in Sleaford Bay in Queensland is one of several options being investigated by water author- ity Seqwater as part of a long term plan to ensure future water supply. With decreasing storage in dams comes the potential for desalination plants to be turned back on. Daniel Lambert, Australasia water leader at Arup which has been in standby mode since 2010, "a nancial disaster built in a panic". The AUD 1.2 of water, and are not only relied upon for emergency supplies, Toomey adds. start to be turned back on." Changing attitudes are also Changing attitudes are also re¤ ected in preparations to invest in new resources in the invest in new resources in the foreseeable future. The utility foreseeable future. The utility Water Corporation, of Western Water Corporation, of Western Australia, is investigating the Australia, is investigating the construction of a third plant in the state, at Alkimos, a coastal suburb of Perth. And coastal suburb of Perth. And a new desalination plant in Sleaford Bay in Queensland is one of several options being investigated by water author- ity Seqwater as part of a long term plan to ensure future water supply. With decreasing storage in dams comes the potential for desalination plants to be turned back on. Daniel Lambert, Australasia water leader at Arup SOUTHERN SEAWATER DESALINATION PLANT Jurisdiction Western Australia Initial Investment $1,400m Capacity gigalitres per year 100 Completion 2012 Annual water supply 33 per cent 1 2 AUSTRALIA'S SIX SEAWATER DESALINATION PLANTS Australia's rising demand for water is refl ected in the ever-increasing capacity of desalination plants that have been constructed there since the country's fi rst desalination facility was completed in Perth in 2006. Source: Australian Water Association 2018