Victorian desalination plant: Difference between revisions

Plans to build a desalination plant in Victoria, Australia, were announced by the Brack's Labor government^[1]

Information about the plant

• Household water bills are expected to double over the next five years to pay for a $4.9 billion water strategy to secure Melbourne's water supplies
• Estimated water production is 150 billion litres (150 gigalitres) of fresh water per year
• The plant is planned to be operations by the end of 2011
• It is intended that the plant will provide additional water to Melbourne, Geelong, Western Port and South Gippsland.
• The plant is estimated to use about 90 mega watts (MW) of power per day. While a commitment was made to use renewable energy to power the plant in an attempt to make it greenhouse neutral, it is possible the plant will be powered by a co-located gas fired power station.
• The plant is expected to emit 200 million tonnes of brine to the ocean.
• The plant will be constructed using a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) and could end up being foreign owned.
• The capital cost of the plant would could equip about 600,000 households with tank systems and pumps (at $5000 per house) that could provide more water than the plant's estimated production. Combined with recycling sewerage water and protecting our catchments, we may not even need desalination.
• The Brack's government opposed the construction of a desalination plant during the 2006 Victorian State election, but has since reversed its position.

Costs

• The construction cost is estimated to be $3 billion
• Operating costs (chardged by a private firm) over a 25 year period could reach $1.5 billion^[2]
• Melbourne Water estimates the cost of production of desal water to be $3000 a megalitre

References