Desal takes shape

By Melissa Meehan
THINGS are starting to take shape at the Wonthaggi Desalination Plant site, as the first pipes that will bring water from the coast to Melbourne are laid.
While still in construction, the Gazette was given the opportunity to have a first-hand look at the site and learn how the water would be transported to the Berwick Booster Pump Station and the Cardinia Reservoir.
Water Minister Tim Holding said the desalination project was vital to Victoria’s future because it will turn sea water into drinking water, delivering a rainfall-independent source of water.
“It is our insurance policy to ensure that we won’t run out of water during severe droughts and as our climate changes,” Mr Holding said.
The project includes the 150 billion litre plant at Wonthaggi, an 84-kilometre pipeline to connect to Melbourne’s existing network, an underground power supply and the purchase of renewable energy to 100 per cent offset the energy requirements of the operation of the plant and pipe.
As revealed in July when AquaSure was announced as the successful consortium, the capital cost of the project is $3.5 billion.
The total maximum net present cost to Victoria over the 30 year contract term of the project is $5.7 billion which equates to a cost of $1.37 per one thousand litres of water.
This includes construction, financing, operating costs and using 150 billion litres of water every year for the next 27.75 years (the full contract operation period).
As the government has complete flexibility on how much water can be ordered each year, the total cost over the life of the project could be much less.
The desalination plant and the pipeline will be handed back to the state in full operating condition, at no cost, in 2039.
Mr Holding said the government’s commitment that average water prices would not more than double over the current pricing period would be met.
“Water prices in metropolitan Melbourne have traditionally been very low compared to other states and even with desalination we expect the cost of water in Victoria to remain comparable to other states in the future,” he said.
It will take three hours for the water to be transported, through the pipeline, to the Cardinia Reservior where it will be available to those on the existing water network.
Mr Holding said around 1700 direct jobs and as many as 3050 indirect jobs would be created during construction of the project, many from the South Gippsland and South Eastern Victoria.