75-669: The Victorian Desalination Plant (also referred to as the Victorian Desalination Project or Wonthaggi desalination plant ) is a water desalination plant in Dalyston , on the Bass Coast in southern Victoria , Australia. The project was announced by Premier Steve Bracks in June 2007, at the height of the millennium drought when Melbourne's water storage levels dropped to 28.4%, a drop of more than 20% from
150-524: A still to a cookstove. During the Middle Ages elsewhere in Central Europe, work continued on distillation refinements, although not necessarily directed towards desalination. The first major land-based desalination plant may have been installed under emergency conditions on an island off the coast of Tunisia in 1560. It is believed that a garrison of 700 Spanish soldiers was besieged by
225-423: A 1,600-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 respond to the report. Watershed Victoria claimed that this
300-535: A 10%+ compound rate, doubling in abundance every seven years. There are now about 21,000 desalination plants in operation around the globe. The biggest ones are in the United Arab Emirates , Saudi Arabia , and Israel. The world's largest desalination plant is located in Saudi Arabia ( Ras Al-Khair Power and Desalination Plant ) with a capacity of 1,401,000 cubic meters per day. Desalination
375-502: A April 2024, researchers from the Australian National University published experimental results of a novel technique for desalination. This technique, thermodiffusive desalination, passes saline water through a channel with a temperature gradient. Species migrate under this temperature gradient in a process known a thermodiffusion. Researchers then separated the water into fractions. After multiple passes through
450-479: A buffer tank on a hill with seawater. The reverse osmosis process receives its pressurized seawater feed in non-sunlight hours by gravity, resulting in sustainable drinking water production without the need for fossil fuels, an electricity grid or batteries. Nano-tubes are also used for the same function (i.e., Reverse Osmosis). Forward osmosis uses a semi-permeable membrane to effect separation of water from dissolved solutes. The driving force for this separation
525-701: A decade of regional drought. By the late 1960s and the early 1970s, RO started to show promising results to replace traditional thermal desalination units. Research took place at state universities in California, at the Dow Chemical Company and DuPont . Many studies focus on ways to optimize desalination systems. The first commercial RO plant, the Coalinga desalination plant, was inaugurated in California in 1965 for brackish water . Dr. Sidney Loeb , in conjunction with staff at UCLA , designed
600-843: A fine wax vessel would hold potable water after being submerged long enough in seawater, having acted as a membrane to filter the salt. At the same time the desalination of seawater was recorded in China. Both the Classic of Mountains and Water Seas in the Period of the Warring States and the Theory of the Same Year in the Eastern Han Dynasty mentioned that people found that the bamboo mats used for steaming rice would form
675-633: A large pilot plant to gather data on RO, but was successful enough to provide freshwater to the residents of Coalinga. This was a milestone in desalination technology, as it proved the feasibility of RO and its advantages compared to existing technologies (efficiency, no phase change required, ambient temperature operation, scalability, and ease of standardization). A few years later, in 1975, the first sea water reverse osmosis desalination plant came into operation. As of 2000, more than 2000 plants were operated. The largest are in Saudi Arabia, Israel, and
750-434: A lower temperature, when the ambient atmospheric pressure is less than usual atmospheric pressure. Thus, because of the reduced pressure, low-temperature "waste" heat from electrical power generation or industrial processes can be employed. Water is evaporated and separated from sea water through multi-stage flash distillation , which is a series of flash evaporations . Each subsequent flash process uses energy released from
825-486: A multidisciplinary desalination methodology in the IBTS Greenhouse . The IBTS is an industrial desalination (power)plant on one side and a greenhouse operating with the natural water cycle (scaled down 1:10) on the other side. The various processes of evaporation and condensation are hosted in low-tech utilities, partly underground and the architectural shape of the building itself. This integrated biotectural system
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#1732779831973900-557: A new opposition group Watershed Victoria , has continued the opposition campaign. The government pursued legal costs, which sent the group bankrupt. Public rallies and protests were held at the site near Wonthaggi and in Melbourne on Spring Street outside the State Parliament buildings during 2007, 2008 and 2009. At a July 2008 protest several people were removed from Crown land, but none were arrested. In June 2009,
975-744: A petition including 3,000 signatories opposing the plant was presented to the Victorian Parliament. 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
1050-632: A private firm over a 25–30-year period and are estimated to be around $ 1.5 billion. This cost includes labour, replacement of membranes, chemicals costs and energy, and it was 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 2008 report by the Water Services Association of Australia, modelling several national water-supply scenarios for 2030. It determined that sourcing water supply by seawater desalination
1125-418: A significant effect on efficiency and durability. A study found that a membrane created via co-axial electrospinning of PVDF - HFP and silica aerogel was able to filter 99.99% of salt after continuous 30-day usage. The leading process for desalination in terms of installed capacity and yearly growth is reverse osmosis (RO). The RO membrane processes use semipermeable membranes and applied pressure (on
1200-550: A thin outer layer after long use. The as-formed thin film had adsorption and ion exchange functions, which could adsorb salt. Numerous examples of experimentation in desalination appeared throughout Antiquity and the Middle Ages , but desalination became feasible on a large scale only in the modern era. A good example of this experimentation comes from Leonardo da Vinci (Florence, 1452), who realized that distilled water could be made cheaply in large quantities by adapting
1275-492: A vacuum. Under vacuum conditions the ice, desalinated, is melted and diverted for collection and the salt is collected. Electrodialysis uses electric potential to move the salts through pairs of charged membranes, which trap salt in alternating channels. Several variances of electrodialysis exist such as conventional electrodialysis , electrodialysis reversal . Electrodialysis can simultaneously remove salt and carbonic acid from seawater. Preliminary estimates suggest that
1350-487: A vertical tube seawater distilling unit that, thanks to its simplicity of design and ease of construction, gained popularity for shipboard use. Land-based units did not significantly appear until the latter half of the nineteenth century. In the 1860s, the US Army purchased three Normandy evaporators, each rated at 7000 gallons/day and installed them on the islands of Key West and Dry Tortugas . Another land-based plant
1425-524: Is CETO , a wave power technology that desalinates seawater using submerged buoys. Wave-powered desalination plants began operating on Garden Island in Western Australia in 2013 and in Perth in 2015. Membrane distillation uses a temperature difference across a membrane to evaporate vapor from a brine solution and condense pure water on the colder side. The design of the membrane can have
1500-403: Is distillation (i.e., boiling and re- condensation of seawater to leave salt and impurities behind). There are currently two technologies with a large majority of the world's desalination capacity: multi-stage flash distillation and reverse osmosis . Solar distillation mimics the natural water cycle, in which the sun heats sea water enough for evaporation to occur. After evaporation,
1575-483: Is 100% offset by renewable energy, however they also state it would be "impractical" to directly supply the plant with renewable energy sources such and wind and solar, instead purchasing "renewable energy credits" (also known as Carbon Credits) to offset the coal powered energy the plant in fact uses. The project encountered opposition from community groups and local residents, and the Australian Greens and
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#17327798319731650-434: Is 150 gigalitres (5.3 × 10 cu ft) of desalinated water per year, potentially 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. The intake pipes for the desalination plant are located over 1 kilometre ( 1 ⁄ 2 mi) out to sea. In August 2008,
1725-451: Is an artificial process by which saline water (generally sea water ) is converted to fresh water. The most common desalination processes are distillation and reverse osmosis . There are several methods. Each has advantages and disadvantages but all are useful. The methods can be divided into membrane-based (e.g., reverse osmosis ) and thermal-based (e.g., multistage flash distillation ) methods. The traditional process of desalination
1800-548: Is an osmotic pressure gradient, such as a "draw" solution of high concentration. Freeze–thaw desalination (or freezing desalination) uses freezing to remove fresh water from salt water. Salt water is sprayed during freezing conditions into a pad where an ice-pile builds up. When seasonal conditions warm, naturally desalinated melt water is recovered. This technique relies on extended periods of natural sub-freezing conditions. A different freeze–thaw method, not weather dependent and invented by Alexander Zarchin , freezes seawater in
1875-589: Is between Wonthaggi and Kilcunda and near the Powlett River. The site is located on Bunurong aboriginal land, specifically the Boakoolawal clan which lived in the area south of the Bass River before white settlement. Middens containing charcoal and shellfish mark the location of their campsites along the coast. Many significant archaeological artifacts have previously been discovered around
1950-418: Is currently expensive compared to most alternative sources of water, and only a very small fraction of total human use is satisfied by desalination. It is usually only economically practical for high-valued uses (such as household and industrial uses) in arid areas. However, there is growth in desalination for agricultural use and highly populated areas such as Singapore or California. The most extensive use
2025-425: Is expected that costs will continue to decrease with technology improvements that include, but are not limited to, improved efficiency, reduction in plant footprint, improvements to plant operation and optimization, more effective feed pretreatment, and lower cost energy sources. Reverse osmosis uses a thin-film composite membrane, which comprises an ultra-thin, aromatic polyamide thin-film. This polyamide film gives
2100-636: Is generally more costly than fresh water from surface water or groundwater , water recycling and water conservation ; however, these alternatives are not always available and depletion of reserves is a critical problem worldwide. Desalination processes are using either thermal methods (in the case of distillation ) or membrane-based methods (e.g. in the case of reverse osmosis ). An estimate in 2018 found that "18,426 desalination plants are in operation in over 150 countries. They produce 87 million cubic meters of clean water each day and supply over 300 million people." The energy intensity has improved: It
2175-504: Is in the Persian Gulf . While noting costs are falling, and generally positive about the technology for affluent areas in proximity to oceans, a 2005 study argued, "Desalinated water may be a solution for some water-stress regions, but not for places that are poor, deep in the interior of a continent, or at high elevation. Unfortunately, that includes some of the places with the biggest water problems.", and, "Indeed, one needs to lift
2250-407: Is more cost effective if kept at a small scale. Wave powered desalination systems generally convert mechanical wave motion directly to hydraulic power for reverse osmosis. Such systems aim to maximize efficiency and reduce costs by avoiding conversion to electricity, minimizing excess pressurization above the osmotic pressure, and innovating on hydraulic and wave power components. One such example
2325-493: Is most suitable for large scale desert greening as it has a km footprint for the water distillation and the same for landscape transformation in desert greening, respectively the regeneration of natural fresh water cycles. In vacuum distillation atmospheric pressure is reduced, thus lowering the temperature required to evaporate the water. Liquids boil when the vapor pressure equals the ambient pressure and vapor pressure increases with temperature. Effectively, liquids boil at
Victorian Desalination Plant - Misplaced Pages Continue
2400-400: Is now about 3 kWh/m (in 2018), down by a factor of 10 from 20–30 kWh/m in 1970. Nevertheless, desalination represented about 25% of the energy consumed by the water sector in 2016. Ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle observed in his work Meteorology that "salt water, when it turns into vapour, becomes sweet and the vapour does not form salt water again when it condenses", and that
2475-514: Is ordered. Construction commenced in mid-2009. While the project will supply water for Melbourne, it is being managed by the Department of Sustainability & Environment (DSE) as a public-private partnership (PPP). DSE awarded the tender for design, build and operation to another company that will in turn supply the water to Melbourne Water , that makes payments to the plant owners and operators, Aquasure ( Ventia / Suez ). Melbourne Water pays
2550-487: Is possible to desalinate saltwater, especially sea water , to produce water for human consumption or irrigation. The by-product of the desalination process is brine . Many seagoing ships and submarines use desalination. Modern interest in desalination mostly focuses on cost-effective provision of fresh water for human use. Along with recycled wastewater , it is one of the few water resources independent of rainfall. Due to its energy consumption, desalinating sea water
2625-449: Is the most thermodynamically efficient among methods powered by heat, a few limitations exist such as a max temperature and max number of effects. Vapor-compression evaporation involves using either a mechanical compressor or a jet stream to compress the vapor present above the liquid. The compressed vapor is then used to provide the heat needed for the evaporation of the rest of the sea water. Since this system only requires power, it
2700-662: The South Seas , reported that he had been able to supply his men with fresh water by means of shipboard distillation. Additionally, during the early 1600s, several prominent figures of the era such as Francis Bacon and Walter Raleigh published reports on desalination. These reports and others, set the climate for the first patent dispute concerning desalination apparatus. The two first patents regarding water desalination were approved in 1675 and 1683 (patents No. 184 and No. 226, published by William Walcot and Robert Fitzgerald (and others), respectively). Nevertheless, neither of
2775-571: The State Coal Mine produced most of the steam-locomotive fuel that serviced the Victorian Railways network, from 1911 until 1978. 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
2850-457: The 1500s, and formulated practical advice that was publicized to all U.S. ships on the reverse side of sailing clearance permits. Beginning about 1800, things started changing as a consequence of the appearance of the steam engine and the so-called age of steam . Knowledge of the thermodynamics of steam processes and the need for a pure water source for its use in boilers generated a positive effect regarding distilling systems. Additionally,
2925-479: The RO membranes are destroyed. To mitigate damage, various pretreatment stages are introduced. Anti-scaling inhibitors include acids and other agents such as the organic polymers polyacrylamide and polymaleic acid , phosphonates and polyphosphates . Inhibitors for fouling are biocides (as oxidants against bacteria and viruses), such as chlorine, ozone, sodium or calcium hypochlorite. At regular intervals, depending on
3000-716: The Sugarloaf (North South) pipeline." By comparison, the Kwinana Desalination Plant in Perth, Western Australia, was completed in 2006 with approximately 30–50 per cent of the output of the Wonthaggi plant. It cost $ 387 million to build and did not include an 85 km (55 mi) pipeline and windfarm. The plant is estimated to require 90 MW of electricity to power the plant and transfer pipeline when operating at 150GL capacity. The owners state it
3075-551: The Turkish army and that, during the siege, the captain in charge fabricated a still capable of producing 40 barrels of fresh water per day, though details of the device have not been reported. Before the Industrial Revolution , desalination was primarily of concern to oceangoing ships, which otherwise needed to keep on board supplies of fresh water. Sir Richard Hawkins (1562–1622), who made extensive travels in
Victorian Desalination Plant - Misplaced Pages Continue
3150-659: The UAE; and the biggest plant with a volume of 1,401,000 m3/d is in Saudi Arabia (Ras Al Khair). As of 2021 22,000 plants were in operation In 2024 the Catalan government installed a floating offshore plant near the port of Barcelona and purchased 12 mobile desalination units for the northern region of the Costa Brava to combat the severe drought. In 2012, cost averaged $ 0.75 per cubic meter. By 2022, that had declined (before inflation) to $ 0.41. Desalinated supplies are growing at
3225-635: The business fundamentals were challenged during feasibility studies and assessments of Melbourne's water supply needs. Regular public rallies were conducted on the site and in Melbourne. The community group Your Water, Your Say was one of the first organised opposition group. It was sent bankrupt after it lost a legal case after the group pursued the Victorian Government over lack of reports and consultation. The case centred on initial water requirement figures, feasibility studies and environmental effects reports among other issues. More recently,
3300-414: The channel, the researchers were able to achieve NaCL concentration drop of 25000 ppm with a recovery rate of 10% of the original water volume. The desalination process's energy consumption depends on the water's salinity. Brackish water desalination requires less energy than seawater desalination. The energy intensity of seawater desalination has improved: It is now about 3 kWh/m (in 2018), down by
3375-533: The community group broke. YWYS was subsequently disbanded. In its submission response to the Environmental Effects Statement, 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." In December 2009, it
3450-421: The condensation of the water vapor from the previous step. Multiple-effect distillation (MED) works through a series of steps called "effects". Incoming water is sprayed onto pipes which are then heated to generate steam. The steam is then used to heat the next batch of incoming sea water. To increase efficiency, the steam used to heat the sea water can be taken from nearby power plants. Although this method
3525-707: The construction of over 200 electrodialysis and distillation plants globally, reverse osmosis (RO) research, and international cooperation (for example, the First International Water Desalination Symposium and Exposition in 1965). The Office of Saline Water merged into the Office of Water Resources Research in 1974. The first industrial desalination plant in the United States opened in Freeport, Texas in 1961 after
3600-609: The construction site, including Australia's first dinosaur bone, the Cape Paterson Claw, discovered nearby in 1903 by William Ferguson near what is now Eagles Nest, Bunurong Marine National Park in Inverloch . Plans are underway to build a much larger, wind farm at Glenthompson to offset the electricity used by the desalination plant. The site is located in the Powlett River Coal Fields where
3675-444: The cost of such carbon removal can be paid for in large part if not entirely from the sale of the desalinated water produced as a byproduct. Microbial desalination cells are biological electrochemical systems that implements the use of electro-active bacteria to power desalination of water in situ , resourcing the natural anode and cathode gradient of the electro-active bacteria and thus creating an internal supercapacitor . In
3750-415: The feasibility study's "long list", and subsequently reduce 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 site is a 20-hectare (49-acre) area in Dalyston next to Williamsons Beach on the Bass Coast in south-eastern Victoria . It
3825-509: The information would be used to better "manage" future activities and potential "security threats". Booked tours are run and plans are underway for Aquasure to open to the public. The gates open daily for public access to the 225-hectare (560-acre) park and 8 kilometres (5 mi) of walking, horse riding and cycling tracks. The plant is located next to Williamsons Beach and the Wonthaggi Wind Farm , Wonthaggi . Construction of
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#17327798319733900-507: The membrane contamination; fluctuating seawater conditions; or when prompted by monitoring processes, the membranes need to be cleaned, known as emergency or shock-flushing. Flushing is done with inhibitors in a fresh water solution and the system must go offline. This procedure is environmentally risky, since contaminated water is diverted into the ocean without treatment. Sensitive marine habitats can be irreversibly damaged. Off-grid solar-powered desalination units use solar energy to fill
3975-438: The membrane feed side) to preferentially induce water permeation through the membrane while rejecting salts. Reverse osmosis plant membrane systems typically use less energy than thermal desalination processes. Energy cost in desalination processes varies considerably depending on water salinity, plant size and process type. At present the cost of seawater desalination, for example, is higher than traditional water sources, but it
4050-674: The membrane its transport properties, whereas the remainder of the thin-film composite membrane provides mechanical support. The polyamide film is a dense, void-free polymer with a high surface area, allowing for its high water permeability. A recent study has found that the water permeability is primarily governed by the internal nanoscale mass distribution of the polyamide active layer. The reverse osmosis process requires maintenance. Various factors interfere with efficiency: ionic contamination (calcium, magnesium etc.); dissolved organic carbon (DOC); bacteria; viruses; colloids and insoluble particulates; biofouling and scaling . In extreme cases,
4125-474: The owner of the plant, even if no water is ordered, $ 608 million a year. That is $ 1.8 million per day, for 27 years. The total payment is expected to be between $ 18 and $ 19 billion. On 1 April each year, the Minister for Water places an order for the following financial year, up to 150 gigalitres a year, at an additional cost to Melbourne Water and consumers. The potential for a desalination plant
4200-521: The plant to marine intake and discharge structures up to 1.2 km ( 1 ⁄ 2 mi) out to sea, an 85-kilometre (55 mi) pipeline to connect the plant to Melbourne's water supply system, and power supply infrastructure for the plant. The plant can provide up to 150 gigalitres (5.3 × 10 cu ft) of additional water a year, with the potential to expand production to 200 gigalitres (7.1 × 10 cu ft) per year. A two-headed marine structure extends up to 2 km (1 mi) offshore
4275-556: The plant was described in an episode of Build It Bigger , which aired on the Discovery Channel and the Science Channel in the United States in 2011. Water desalination Desalination is a process that removes mineral components from saline water . More generally, desalination is the removal of salts and minerals from a substance. One example is soil desalination . This is important for agriculture. It
4350-527: The previous year. Increased winter-spring rains after mid-2007 took water storage levels above 40%, but it was not until 2011 that storages returned to pre-2006 levels. The plant was completed in December 2012, and was the largest addition to Melbourne's water system since the Thomson River Dam was completed in 1983. However, at the time, Melbourne's reservoirs were at 81% capacity, and the plant
4425-496: The project's official costs. The average water bill for residents living in Melbourne was estimated to rise by more than 60 per cent over the following five years, while the Essential Services Commission estimated it might rise up to 96 per cent. Then Water Minister Tim Holding, stated that; "Melbourne residents need to help pay for major water infrastructure projects, such as the desalination plant and
4500-407: The sea and somewhat high, such as Riyadh and Harare . By contrast in other locations transport costs are much less, such as Beijing, Bangkok , Zaragoza , Phoenix , and, of course, coastal cities like Tripoli . After desalination at Jubail , Saudi Arabia, water is pumped 320 km inland to Riyadh . For coastal cities, desalination is increasingly viewed as a competitive choice. In 2023, Israel
4575-417: The spread of European colonialism induced a need for freshwater in remote parts of the world, thus creating the appropriate climate for water desalination. In parallel with the development and improvement of systems using steam ( multiple-effect evaporators ), these type of devices quickly demonstrated their desalination potential. In 1852, Alphonse René le Mire de Normandy was issued a British patent for
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#17327798319734650-440: The two inventions entered service as a consequence of scale-up difficulties. No significant improvements to the basic seawater distillation process were made during the 150 years from the mid-1600s until 1800. When the frigate Protector was sold to Denmark in the 1780s (as the ship Hussaren ) its still was studied and recorded in great detail. In the United States, Thomas Jefferson catalogued heat-based methods going back to
4725-428: The water by 2000 m, or transport it over more than 1600 km to get transport costs equal to the desalination costs." Thus, it may be more economical to transport fresh water from somewhere else than to desalinate it. In places far from the sea, like New Delhi, or in high places, like Mexico City , transport costs could match desalination costs. Desalinated water is also expensive in places that are both somewhat far from
4800-425: The water vapor is condensed onto a cool surface. There are two types of solar desalination. The first type uses photovoltaic cells to convert solar energy to electrical energy to power desalination. The second type converts solar energy to heat, and is known as solar thermal powered desalination. Water can evaporate through several other physical effects besides solar irradiation . These effects have been included in
4875-544: Was 615 gigalitres (2.17 × 10 cu ft) per year, while average inflow 1997–2009, during Victoria's most severe recorded drought was 376 gigalitres (1.33 × 10 cu ft) per year. [1] The combination of drought and rapid population growth put pressure on reserve storage capacity which had dropped from 97.8 per cent in 1983 to just over one-quarter of maximum capacity in 2007. As a result, water restrictions were in place for several years. The desalination plant and associated infrastructure includes tunnels connecting
4950-636: Was created in the United States Department of the Interior in 1955 in accordance with the Saline Water Conversion Act of 1952. This act was motivated by a water shortage in California and inland western United States. The Department of the Interior allocated resources including research grants, expert personnel, patent data, and land for experiments to further advancements. The results of these efforts included
5025-505: Was immediately put into standby mode. The first water released for public use was in March 2017 via Cardinia Reservoir . As a rainfall-independent source of water the desalination plant complements Victoria's existing drainage basins , being a useful resource in times of drought . It is a controversial part of Victoria's water system, with ongoing costs of $ 608 million a year, equivalent to .16% of Melbourne's FY2019 GDP, even if no water
5100-590: Was installed at Suakin during the 1880s that provided freshwater to the British troops there. It consisted of six-effect distillers with a capacity of 350 tons/day. After World War II, many technologies were developed or improved such as Multi Effect Flash desalination (MEF) and Multi Stage Flash desalination (MSF). Another notable technology is freeze-thaw desalination. Freeze-thaw desalination, (cryo-desalination or FD), excludes dissolved minerals from saline water through crystallization. The Office of Saline Water
5175-504: Was insufficient time for community groups to analyse the report and prepare submissions. There were eight tenderers for the contract for the construction and operation of the plant, with two consortia being short-listed – AquaSure ( Ventia Contractors / Suez ) and BassWater ( John Holland Group / Veolia Environmental ). On 30 June 2009, the AquaSure consortium, which is made up of Degrémont , Macquarie Capital and Ventia Contractors ,
5250-413: Was named the winning bidder. Simultaneously, it was announced that construction was scheduled to commence in late 2009, proposing that water be delivered by late 2011. A$ 1.8 million per day fee is payable to the construction consortium. This minimum fee that is payable for 27 years after completion. Even if no water is required, the total payment is between $ 18 and $ 19 billion. Nine sites were included in
5325-740: Was promoted through the late 2000s in response to an increasingly severe drought which saw Melbourne's water storages go from 57.1% of capacity in January 2005 to 28.7% in June 2007. The project was part of the Victorian Government's "Our Water, Our Future" water plan which included associated projects such as the North-South Pipeline , the Cardinia Pipeline and a proposed interconnector to Geelong . The total average inflow into Melbourne dams from 1913 to 1996
5400-407: 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
5475-430: Was the most energy-intensive. The report predicted that if desalination was the primary source of supplying around 300 litres (66 imp gal; 79 US gal) per person per day, energy use 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 that land being included in
5550-423: Was to be temporarily constructed. The plant takes in 480 billion litres (1.1 × 10 imp gal; 1.3 × 10 US gal) of seawater and pumps back 280 billion litres (6.2 × 10 imp gal; 7.4 × 10 US gal) of saline concentration every year. A six turbine windfarm was built in 2005 and is located at Glenthompson to offset the facility's electricity use. Estimated water production
5625-508: Was using desalination to replenish the Sea of Galilee 's water supply. Not everyone is convinced that desalination is or will be economically viable or environmentally sustainable for the foreseeable future. Debbie Cook wrote in 2011 that desalination plants can be energy intensive and costly. Therefore, water-stressed regions might do better to focus on conservation or other water supply solutions than invest in desalination plants. Desalination
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