71-614: The Adelaide Desalination plant (ADP) , formerly known as the Port Stanvac Desalination Plant , is a sea water reverse osmosis desalination plant located in Lonsdale, South Australia which has the capacity to provide the city of Adelaide with up to 50% of its drinking water needs. In September 2007, South Australian Premier Mike Rann announced that the State Government would fund and build
142-598: A 20-year contract at an annual cost initially estimated at over $ 75 million per year (for the first 50 GL plant). Energy supply cost is part of the overall operating cost of the facility which was confirmed by SA Water in December 2010 at $ 130 million per year (for double the capacity or 100 GL plant). SA Water advised that the $ 130 million per year would result in one of the lowest operating cost per unit of desalinated drinking water of any desalination plant in Australia. This
213-481: A European directive) is not allowed. In practice, a fraction of the living bacteria pass through RO through membrane imperfections or bypass the membrane entirely through leaks in seals. A solar-powered desalination unit produces potable water from saline water by using a photovoltaic system to supply the energy. Solar power works well for water purification in settings lacking grid electricity and can reduce operating costs and greenhouse emissions . For example,
284-605: A desalination plant to ensure Adelaide's water supply against drought. The plant was financed and built by SA Water , a state-owned corporation. The plant was initially planned to have a capacity of 50 gigalitres (GL) of water per year but was later doubled in capacity to 100 GL/year with the assistance of funding from the Australian Government. The expanded capacity represents around 50% of Adelaide's domestic water supply. The project has engaged professional political lobbyists, including Michael O'Reilly. The plant
355-469: A highly porous and much thicker substrate region. John Cadotte, of Filmtec corporation , discovered that membranes with particularly high flux and low salt passage could be made by interfacial polymerization of m -phenylene diamine and trimesoyl chloride. Cadotte's patent on this process was the subject of litigation and expired. Almost all commercial RO membrane is now made by this method. By 2019, approximately 16,000 desalination plants operated around
426-490: A lower operating cost and the ability to avoid heat-treatment, which makes it suitable for heat-sensitive substances such as protein and enzymes . RO is used in the dairy industry to produce whey protein powders and concentrate milk. The whey (liquid remaining after cheese manufacture) is concentrated with RO from 6% solids to 10–20% solids before ultrafiltration processing. The retentate can then be used to make whey powders, including whey protein isolate . Additionally,
497-795: A membrane that is either nonporous or uses nanofiltration with pores 0.001 micrometers in size. The predominant removal mechanism is from differences in solubility or diffusivity , and the process is dependent on pressure , solute concentration, and other conditions. RO requires pressure between 2–17 bar (30–250 psi ) for fresh and brackish water, and 40–82 bar (600–1200 psi) for seawater. Seawater has around 27 bar (390 psi) natural osmotic pressure that must be overcome. Membrane pore sizes vary from 0.1 to 5,000 nm. Particle filtration removes particles of 1 μm or larger. Microfiltration removes particles of 50 nm or larger. Ultrafiltration removes particles of roughly 3 nm or larger. Nanofiltration removes particles of 1 nm or larger. RO
568-540: A seawater feed. A level of 500 ppm is generally the upper limit for drinking water, while the US Food and Drug Administration classifies mineral water as water containing at least 250 ppm. Energy recovery can reduce energy consumption by 50% or more. Much of the input energy can be recovered from the concentrate flow, and the increasing efficiency of energy recovery devices greatly reduces energy requirements. Devices used, in order of invention, are: The desalinated water
639-482: A small Temporary Pilot Desalination Plant with a capacity of 100,000 litres per day. Construction of this temporary pilot plant commenced in June 2008 and was completed on 4 August 2008. The pilot plant was operated for two years through to October 2010 and provided valuable information to further optimise the design of the main plant. The procurement process for the construction of the plant was: The preferred respondent
710-640: A solar farm on 14 hectares of land adjacent to the desalination plant is expected to significantly reduce the plant's electricity bills. 35°5′48.7″S 138°29′2.6″E / 35.096861°S 138.484056°E / -35.096861; 138.484056 Reverse osmosis Reverse osmosis ( RO ) is a water purification process that uses a semi-permeable membrane to separate water molecules from other substances. RO applies pressure to overcome osmotic pressure that favors even distributions. RO can remove dissolved or suspended chemical species as well as biological substances (principally bacteria ), and
781-467: A solar-powered desalination unit designed passed tests in Australia's Northern Territory . Sunlight's intermittent nature makes output prediction difficult without an energy storage capability. However batteries or thermal energy storage systems can provide power when the sun does not. Larger scale reverse osmosis water purification units (ROWPU) exist for military use. These have been adopted by
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#1732780417051852-414: Is distilled multiple times to ensure that it does not leave deposits on the machinery or cause corrosion. RO is used to clean effluent and brackish groundwater . The effluent in larger volumes (more than 500 m /day) is treated in a water treatment plant first, and then the effluent runs through RO. This hybrid process reduces treatment cost significantly and lengthens membrane life. RO can be used for
923-399: Is a paper by-product membrane bonded to a synthetic layer that allows contact with chlorine in the water. These require a small amount of chlorine in the water source to prevent bacteria from forming on it. The typical rejection rate for CTA membranes is 85–95%. The cellulose triacetate membrane rots unless protected by chlorinated water , while the thin-film composite membrane breaks down in
994-720: Is around 3 kWh/m (11,000 J/L), with the development of more efficient energy recovery devices and improved membrane materials. According to the International Desalination Association , for 2011, RO was used in 66% of installed desalination capacity (0.0445 of 0.0674 km /day), and nearly all new plants. Other plants use thermal distillation methods: multiple-effect distillation , and multi-stage flash . Sea-water RO (SWRO) desalination requires around 3 kWh/m , much higher than those required for other forms of water supply, including RO treatment of wastewater, at 0.1 to 1 kWh/m . Up to 50% of
1065-504: Is fed back into the plant, reducing energy consumption by approximately 2.5%. The lack of tidal movement for up to 2–3 days during dodge tides , which occur twice a month in Gulf St Vincent, reduces mixing of the water column. This raised concerns during the planning phase of the project about the potential effects of the brine discharge on benthic flora and fauna. Dodge tides and other local conditions were taken into account in
1136-416: Is in the final category of membrane filtration, hyperfiltration, and removes particles larger than 0.1 nm. Around the world, household drinking water purification systems, including an RO step, are commonly used for improving water for drinking and cooking. Such systems typically include these steps: In some systems, the carbon prefilter is replaced by a cellulose triacetate (CTA) membrane. CTA
1207-447: Is limited by conductivity, organics, and scaling inorganic elements such as CaSO 4 , Si, Fe and Ba. Low organic scaling can use two different technologies: spiral wound membrane, and (for high organic scaling, high conductivity and higher pressure (up to 90 bars)), disc tube modules with RO membranes can be used. Disc tube modules were redesigned for landfill leachate purification that is usually contaminated with organic material. Due to
1278-613: Is popular among reef aquarium keepers, and is preferred above other water purification processes due to the low cost of ownership and operating costs. Where chlorine and chloramines are found in the water, carbon filtration is needed before RO, as common residential membranes do not address these compounds. Freshwater aquarists also use RO to duplicate the soft waters found in many tropical waters. While many tropical fish can survive in treated tap water, breeding can be impossible. Many aquatic shops sell containers of RO water for this purpose. An increasingly popular method of cleaning windows
1349-485: Is sometimes used to prevent formation of mineral deposits on the surface of electrodes . Many reef aquarium keepers use RO systems to make fish-friendly seawater. Ordinary tap water can contain excessive chlorine , chloramines , copper , nitrates , nitrites , phosphates , silicates , or other chemicals detrimental to marine organisms. Contaminants such as nitrogen and phosphates can lead to unwanted algae growth. An effective combination of both RO and deionization
1420-698: Is stabilized to protect downstream pipelines and storage, usually by adding lime or caustic soda to prevent corrosion of concrete-lined surfaces. Liming material is used to adjust pH between 6.8 and 8.1 to meet the potable water specifications, primarily for effective disinfection and for corrosion control. Remineralisation may be needed to replace minerals removed from the water by desalination, although this process has proved to be costly and inconvenient in order to meet mineral demand by humans and plants as found in typical freshwater. For instance water from Israel's national water carrier typically contains dissolved magnesium levels of 20 to 25 mg/liter, while water from
1491-449: Is susceptible to fouling (loss of production capacity). Therefore, pretreatment is a necessity for any RO or nanofiltration system. Pretreatment has four major components: The high pressure pump pushes water through the membrane. Typical pressures for brackish water range from 1.6 to 2.6 MPa (225 to 376 psi). In the case of seawater, they range from 5.5 to 8 MPa (800 to 1,180 psi). This requires substantial energy. Where energy recovery
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#17327804170511562-448: Is the "water-fed pole" system. Instead of washing windows with conventional detergent, they are scrubbed with purified water, typically containing less than 10 ppm dissolved solids, using a brush on the end of a pole wielded from ground level. RO is commonly used to purify the water. Treatment with RO is limited, resulting in low recoveries on high concentration (measured with electrical conductivity ) and membrane fouling. RO applicability
1633-412: Is the world's largest. The typical single-pass SWRO system consists of: Pretreatment is important when working nanofiltration membranes due to their spiral-wound design. The material is engineered to allow one-way flow. The design does not allow for backpulsing with water or air agitation to scour its surface and remove accumulated solids. Since material cannot be removed from the membrane surface, it
1704-608: Is then fed through a high-pressure piston pump into a series of RO vessels. 90.00–99.98% of the raw water's total dissolved solids are removed and military standards require that the result have no more than 1000–1500 parts per million by measure of electrical conductivity . It is then disinfected with chlorine . RO-purified rainwater collected from storm drains is used for landscape irrigation and industrial cooling in Los Angeles and other cities. In industry, RO removes minerals from boiler water at power plants . The water
1775-426: Is typically 3 bar/50 psi less than the feed pressure, and thus retains much of the input energy. The desalinated water purity is a function of the feed water salinity, membrane selection and recovery ratio. To achieve higher purity a second pass can be added which generally requires another pumping cycle. Purity expressed as total dissolved solids typically varies from 100 to 400 parts per million (ppm or mg/litre) on
1846-485: Is used in industrial processes and the production of potable water . RO retains the solute on the pressurized side of the membrane and the purified solvent passes to the other side. The relative sizes of the various molecules determines what passes through. "Selective" membranes reject large molecules, while accepting smaller molecules (such as solvent molecules, e.g., water). RO is most commonly known for its use in drinking water purification from seawater , removing
1917-414: Is used, part of the high pressure pump's work is done by the energy recovery device, reducing energy inputs. The membrane assembly consists of a pressure vessel with a membrane that allows feedwater to be pushed against it. The membrane must be strong enough to withstand the pressure. RO membranes are made in a variety of configurations. The two most common are spiral-wound and hollow-fiber . Only part of
1988-409: The 2011 Christchurch earthquake . Some of the major projects that McConnell Dowell has built include: In the early 2010s, McConnell Dowell was accused of lacking safety culture, and encouraging workers to report injuries as having occurred in their own time to preserve clean injury reports to leverage getting future large contracts. It claims to have improved its safety practices significantly over
2059-489: The Ashkelon plant has no magnesium. Ashkelon water created magnesium-deficiency symptoms in crops, including tomatoes, basil, and flowers, and had to be remedied by fertilization. Israeli drinking water standards require a minimum calcium level of 20 mg/liter. Askelon's post-desalination treatment uses sulfuric acid to dissolve calcite (limestone), resulting in calcium concentrations of 40 to 46 mg/liter, lower than
2130-615: The Finger Wharf during construction works. In a court action initiated by the Environment Protection Authority against McConnell Dowell (found not guilty), Moltoni Corporation, a subcontractor working for McConnell Dowell in New South Wales was implicated for the discharge of oil into the waters of Woolloomooloo Bay . Moltoni was exonerated from any responsibility for damage to the pipeline and
2201-590: The Robert Jones Tower in Auckland. Following the 1987 stock market crash , McDonnell Dowell merged with Inter-Pacific Equity, an Australian investment bank , and sold off National Pacific to Government Life Insurance . Morrison-Knudsen (USA) took up 48.9% of McConnell Dowell in 1991, but in the mid-1990s sold its share to Dominion Bridge Corporation (Canada) who then held 63%. In 1999, Dominion Bridge sold its share to LTA Ltd (South Africa) which
Adelaide Desalination Plant - Misplaced Pages Continue
2272-639: The United States armed forces and the Canadian Forces . Some models are containerized , some are trailers, and some are themselves vehicles. The water is treated with a polymer to initiate coagulation . Next, it is run through a multi-media filter where it undergoes primary treatment, removing turbidity . It is then pumped through a cartridge filter which is usually spiral-wound cotton. This process strips any particles larger than 5 μm and eliminates almost all turbidity. The clarified water
2343-594: The University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) first investigated osmotic desalination . Researchers at both UCLA and University of Florida desalinated seawater in the mid-1950s, but the flux was too low to be commercially viable. Sidney Loeb at UCLA and Srinivasa Sourirajan at the National Research Council of Canada , Ottawa, found techniques for making asymmetric membranes characterized by an effectively thin "skin" layer supported atop
2414-513: The 2007 election campaign. As part of this announcement, the Australian Government also committed a further $ 228 million for the expansion to 100 GL/year. The South Australian Government subsequently committed to the expansion in June 2009. The final capital cost of A$ 1.83 billion for the Adelaide Desalination Project included: In February 2008, the State Government appointed SA Water as the lead agency responsible for
2485-498: The 45 to 60 mg/liter found in typical Israeli fresh water. Post-treatment disinfection provides secondary protection against compromised membranes and downstream problems. Disinfection by means of ultraviolet (UV) lamps (sometimes called germicidal or bactericidal) may be employed to sterilize pathogens that evade the RO process. Chlorination or chloramination (chlorine and ammonia) protects against pathogens that may have lodged in
2556-686: The Middle East in the 1970s. McConnell Dowell was listed on the New Zealand Stock Exchange in 1983 as part of the arrangements to take over Hamilton construction company Hawkins Holdings. During the remainder of the 1980s, McConnell Dowell also ventured outside of the engineering field int banking and finance, through shareholdings in National Insurance Company of New Zealand, National Pacific Corporation, Renouf Partners, Kupe and property development of
2627-538: The Murray River. Since much of Adelaide's household water supply is sourced from the River Murray, allowing the desalination plant to produce the city's water frees allocation from the river to be used upstream. The river water saved will then be allocated to drought-affected farmers along the river's irrigation area with farmers in this area able to bid for the water at a discounted rate. The development of
2698-541: The capital cost of a desalination plant to reduce the city's dependence on the River Murray. Then Opposition Leader Kevin Rudd made similar pledges. The site for the main desalination plant was purchased by SA Water from ExxonMobil in December 2008. Construction commenced in March 2009. The plant is located on the eastern shore of Gulf St Vincent just north of ExxonMobil 's disused Port Stanvac Oil Refinery . It lies within
2769-612: The cost of operating the plant in minimum operation mode (approximately 8 GL/year), noting that doing so: In November 2019 an agreement was reached between the Australian Federal Government and the South Australian government to significantly increase production of water to supply the Adelaide metropolitan area. The agreement was reached to allow farmers affected by drought to access more water from
2840-428: The cross-flow, it is given a flow booster pump that recirculates the flow over the membrane between 1.5 and 3 times before it is released as a concentrate. High velocity protects against membrane scaling and allows membrane cleaning. Areas that have limited surface water or groundwater may choose to desalinate . RO is an increasingly common method, because of its relatively low energy consumption. Energy consumption
2911-670: The delivery of the project and also appointed a steering committee of chief executives of key agencies to provide strategic oversight and review of all key decisions prior to approval by the SA Water Board and or the Government and Parliament; this steering committee had an independent chair (Mr Kevin Osborn). In February 2008, the SA government approved an initial funding of $ 9.5M for the design, construction, operation and maintenance of
Adelaide Desalination Plant - Misplaced Pages Continue
2982-706: The desalination plant was continuing to run at around 10 per cent capacity, despite having sufficient reservoir capacity and water allocation from the Murray River . During the course of determining water prices for South Australia, the Essential Services Commission of South Australia (ESCOSA) commissioned expert engineering advice from to assess SA Water's proposal to operate the desalination plant at minimum capacity, rather than place it into 'cold standby'. Based on this advice, ESCOSA allowed for SA Water to recover $ 4.1 million per year to cover
3053-446: The design of the outfall system. Discharge to the sea occurs via a 1,080 m undersea tunnel, with dispersal through one of 6 specially designed diffusers. Each diffuser has a head consisting of four duck bill valves that assist in maintaining high discharge velocity for optimum mixing, independent of plant operating conditions. Marine monitoring buoys placed at 100-metre radius from the outfall structures allow real time data monitoring via
3124-680: The distribution system downstream. McConnell Dowell McConnell Dowell is an infrastructure construction company founded in New Zealand in 1961. In 2003 it became a wholly owned subsidiary of Aveng , which is listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange in South Africa. McConnell Dowell was formed in 1960 by two New Zealand engineers, Jim Dowell and Malcolm McConnell. It was involved in pipeline projects in New Zealand before expanding to Australia, Asia and
3195-522: The drought, South Australian Premier Mike Rann announced on 11 September 2007 that the State Government would fund and build a desalination plant to guarantee Adelaide's water supply. He said the plant would provide an insurance policy against future droughts and cost more than $ 1.4 billion. In the leadup to the November 2007 federal election campaign Prime Minister John Howard promised that, if re-elected, his Coalition government would contribute towards
3266-416: The feed water. As a result, the high pressure pumps are only needed to deliver half of the water feeding the reverse osmosis system, reducing energy consumption in the plant by up to 40 per cent. Likewise, two turbine generators in the outfall tunnel take advantage of the plant elevation 50 metres above sea level. This mini-hydroelectric system is capable of producing 1,290 kW of renewable electricity which
3337-535: The industrial suburb of Lonsdale within the local government area of the City of Onkaparinga . The residential area just north of the plant lies within the suburb of Hallett Cove (part of the City of Marion ). The plant was originally intended to be capable of producing 50 GL per year and projected to cost almost $ 1.4 billion. During late 2008 and early 2009, the South Australian Government
3408-461: The last 30 years. In 1995, McConnell Dowell's CEO Trevor Morgan was found guilty of an offence in the Land and Environment Court of New South Wales . Morgan had signed a return which showed that McConnell Dowell had only rarely contravened the licence’s permitted pollution level when, in fact, there were many occasions the level was exceeded. Morgan was fined $ 4,000. In 2003 A pipeline was damaged at
3479-423: The mechanism of fluid flow is reversed, as the solvent crosses membrane, leaving the solute behind. The predominant removal mechanism in membrane filtration is straining, or size exclusion, where the pores are 0.01 micrometers or larger, so the process can theoretically achieve perfect efficiency regardless of parameters such as the solution's pressure and concentration. RO instead involves solvent diffusion across
3550-519: The permeate, which contains lactose , is concentrated by RO from 5% solids to 18–total solids to reduce crystallization and drying costs. Although RO was once avoided in the wine industry, it is now widespread. An estimated 60 RO machines were in use in Bordeaux , France, in 2002. Known users include many of elite firms, such as Château Léoville-Las Cases . In 1946, some maple syrup producers started using RO to remove water from sap before boiling
3621-582: The planning and procurement program and target early 'first water' (or 10% of plant output) up to 12 months earlier, followed by progressive completion of the remaining 50 GL per year plant. The first stage of the project began producing drinking water in October 2011, and the expanded plant began producing drinking water in July 2012. The plant was officially opened on 26 March 2013. The Adelaide Desalination Plant removes salt from, or desalinates, seawater using
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#17327804170513692-430: The plant control system, to assess performance against Environment Protection Agency discharge licence conditions. Monitoring of the surrounding marine environment started before construction of the plant began and will continue into the future to ensure no adverse environmental impact. The Adelaide Desalination Plant has been controversial as the high cost of construction has contributed to water price increases, even when
3763-429: The plant is not in use. While the plant was used quite intensively between 2013 and 2015, its utilisation has reduced due to greater water availability in metropolitan reservoirs and from the Murray River. This is shown in the table below, which demonstrates that the plant produced around 8 GL in the year from November 2015 to October 2016, compared to over 100 GL between December 2012 and October 2015. As of January 2016,
3834-789: The presence of chlorine. The thin-film composite (TFC) membrane is made of synthetic material, and requires the chlorine to be removed before the water enters the membrane. To protect the TFC membrane elements from chlorine damage, carbon filters are used as pre-treatment. TFC membranes have a higher rejection rate of 95–98% and a longer life than CTA membranes. To work effectively, the water feeding to these units should be under pressure (typically 280 kPa (40 psi) or greater). Though Portable RO Water Purifiers are commercially available and extensively used in areas lacking cleaning potable water, in Europe such processing of natural mineral water (as defined by
3905-532: The process of reverse osmosis. This involves three main stages: The health and safety of all workers and stakeholders associated with the project was a key concern for SA Water and the AdelaideAqua consortium. In July 2010, worker Brett Fritsch was killed by a steel beam which fell from a soft sling at the construction site. Following a Safework SA investigation, the rigging company Ferro Con SA and its director Paolo Maione were found to be responsible and each
3976-422: The production of deionized water . In 2002, Singapore announced that a process named NEWater would be a significant part of its water plans. RO would be used to treat wastewater before discharging the effluent into reservoirs. Reverse osmosis is a more economical way to concentrate liquids (such as fruit juices) than conventional heat-treatment. Concentration of orange and tomato juice has advantages including
4047-455: The reverse osmosis buildings for localised power generation. Each reverse osmosis building has an approximately 100 kW solar cell array providing a site capacity of approximately 200 kW at peak sun hours. The high pressure pumps feeding the reverse-osmosis membranes are the largest consumers of energy in the plant. Energy recovery devices are installed to harness the pressure in the saline concentrate stream and use it to pressurise some of
4118-475: The salt and other effluent materials from the water molecules. As of 2013 the world's largest RO desalination plant was in Sorek, Israel , outputting 624 thousand cubic metres per day (165 million US gallons per day). A process of osmosis through semi-permeable membranes was first observed in 1748 by Jean-Antoine Nollet . For the following 200 years, osmosis was only a laboratory phenomenon. In 1950,
4189-492: The sap to syrup . RO allows about 75–90% of the water to be removed, reducing energy consumption and exposure of the syrup to high temperatures. When beer at typical concentration is subjected to reverse osmosis, both water and alcohol pass across the membrane more readily than other components, leaving a "beer concentrate". The concentrate is then diluted with fresh water to restore the non-volatile components to their original intensity. For small-scale hydrogen production , RO
4260-564: The seawater input can be recovered as fresh water, though lower recovery rates may reduce membrane fouling and energy consumption. Brackish water reverse osmosis (BWRO) is the desalination of water with less salt than seawater, usually from river estuaries or saline wells. The process is substantially the same as SWRO, but requires lower pressures and less energy. Up to 80% of the feed water input can be recovered as fresh water, depending on feed salinity. The Ashkelon desalination plant in Israel
4331-425: The state's water supply. South Australia, as the "driest state in the driest (inhabited) continent", has experienced severe water shortages during periods of drought . As drought conditions worsened during 2006-7 , reduced inflows into the River Murray lead to the introduction of progressively harsher water restrictions and the future of Adelaide's water supply came to the fore as a political issue. In light of
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#17327804170514402-411: The system in which the difference in solvent concentration between the sides of a membrane is reduced. This is called osmotic pressure. It reduces as the solvent moves into the more concentrated solution. Applying an external pressure to reverse the natural flow of pure solvent, thus, is reverse osmosis. The process is similar to other membrane technology applications. RO differs from filtration in that
4473-424: The water pumped onto the membrane passes through. The left-behind "concentrate" passes along the saline side of the membrane and flushes away the salt and other remnants. The percentage of desalinated water is the "recovery ratio". This varies with salinity and system design parameters: typically 20% for small seawater systems, 40% – 50% for larger seawater systems, and 80% – 85% for brackish water. The concentrate flow
4544-460: The world's largest low-pressure RO plant, producing 56.8 million liters (15 million US gal) per day (MGD). In (forward) osmosis , the solvent moves from an area of low solute concentration (high water potential ), through a membrane, to an area of high solute concentration (low water potential). The driving force for the movement of the solvent is the reduction in the Gibbs free energy of
4615-408: The world, producing around 95 million cubic metres per day (25 billion US gallons per day). Around half of this capacity was in the Middle East and North Africa region. In 1977 Cape Coral , Florida became the first US municipality to use RO at scale, with an initial operating capacity of 11.35 million liters (3 million US gal) per day. By 1985, rapid growth led the city to operate
4686-488: Was a consortium (AdelaideAqua D&C) consisting of McConnell Dowell , Abigroup and Acciona . A 20-year operations and maintenance contract was awarded to AdelaideAqua Pty Ltd, a consortium comprising Acciona and Trility. Completion of the initial 50 GL/year stage was initially targeted for the end of June 2012. Subsequently, with deteriorating drought in South Australia, the project was fast-tracked to compress
4757-610: Was acquired by Aveng the next year. Aveng acquired full ownership from the remaining minority shareholders in 2003 via a scheme of arrangement. McConnell Dowell bought a majority interest in South Australian company Built Environs in 2008. McConnell Dowell was one of the construction partners in Stronger Christchurch Infrastructure Rebuild Team which was responsible for rebuilding infrastructure in Christchurch following
4828-519: Was actively considering doubling the capacity to 100 GL/year at an incremental cost of around $ 450 million. It sought funding from the Australian Government for the full cost of this expansion. In May 2009 the Australian Government, under Prime Minister Rudd, announced a grant of $ 100 million to support the initial stage of the project under the National Urban Water and Desalination Plan. This announcement fulfilled Rudd's commitment during
4899-548: Was completed on time and within the original budget ($ 1.83 billion). Stage one of the plant commenced operations in October 2011, and stage two commenced in July 2012. The plant was officially opened on 26 March 2013. The Adelaide Desalination Project is the largest infrastructure project that the State of South Australia has funded, owns, and has completed successfully. Since 2012, the plant has been operating at 10% of its capacity to keep it functioning. In 2017, it produced 2% of
4970-749: Was fined $ 200,000 by the Industrial Court. No charges were laid on SA Water or the principal contractor, AdelaideAqua. The Adelaide Desalination Project has been internationally recognised by professional organisations, industry bodies and independent judges. Awards include: The SA and Australian governments agreed to make all power used by the plant renewable. The plant uses 3.47 to 3.70 kilowatt-hours of electricity per kilolitre of water produced. The plant sources all its electricity from 100% GreenPower accredited Renewable Energy sources from within South Australia. The plant sources its electricity from renewable energy sources provided by AGL Energy under
5041-402: Was possible because of energy efficient technologies and innovations throughout the plant. The plant's buildings have been designed to maximise natural light during the day and a selection of high thermal materials (e.g. solid precast concrete walls and insulation) to improve thermal properties, thereby minimising energy consumption. More specifically, solar photovoltaic cells have been placed on
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