Plans to build a desalination plant in Victoria, Australia, were announced by the Brack's Labor government<ref>Bracks announces $5 billion water plan, The Age, June 19, 2007Cite error: The opening <ref> tag is malformed or has a bad name
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<ref>Foreigners bid for desalination deal, Herald Sun, March 03, 2008Cite error: The opening
<ref>tag is malformed or has a bad name - Melbourne Water estimates the cost of production of desal water to be $3000 a megalitre