6/15/2015

SouthernSeawaterDesalinationPlant(SSDP)WaterTechnology

WaterTechnologyMarket&CustomerInsightLogIn RequestDemo AboutMarket&CustomerInsight

SouthernSeawaterDesalination
Plant(SSDP),Australia
22

KeyData

ThenewplantislocatedonTarantoRoad,northofBinningup,approximately
150kmsouthofPerth.Itisbeingbuiltintwostages,eachwithamaximum
capacityof50gigalitres(GL)ayear.Thefirststageoftheplantwasofficially
openedinSeptember2011.Itwascompletedthreemonthsaheadofschedule
andrequiredaninvestmentofA$955m($943.5m).Theplanthasstarted
operatingatitsfullcapacity.
Thesecondstageoftheprojectwasannouncedin
August2011.Itwillinvolveanexpansionoftheplant's
capacity,from50GL/yearto100GL/year.The
expansionisexpectedtocostA$450m($444.6m).The
stategovernmenthasalreadyapprovedfundingof
A$300m($296.4m),toputtowardstheexpansion.
Thefirstintakeofseawaterintothesecondstageof
theplanttookplaceinJanuary2013.Theexpansionis
expectedtobecompletedaftertheinstallationand
testingoffourpumpsinMarch2013.
TheplantisownedbyWaterCorporation,whichisthe
mainproviderofwater,wastewateranddrainage
servicesinWesternAustralia.

"Theplantis
ownedbyWater
Corporation,the
mainproviderof
water,
wastewaterand
drainage
servicesin
Western
Australia."

Inadditiontothestatecapital,thenewplantwillsupplywatertothenearbycity
ofBunbury,located175kmsouthofPerth'scentralbusinessdistrict(CBD).
TheprojectwasnamedtheGlobalDesalinationPlantoftheYearinApril2012
attheGlobalWaterSummitheldinRome.

SouthernSeawaterdesalinationplantconstruction
Thefirststageoftheprojectinvolvedconstructionofaseawaterreverse
osmosis(SWRO)based,50GL/yearcapacitydesalinationplantthatcanbe
expandedto100GL/year.Italsoincludedpretreatmentandposttreatment
facilities.
Thesecondcomponentoftheprojectisthe28kmlongundergroundpipeline
fromBinninguptoastoragefacilitycomprisedoffoursummittanks,located
http://www.watertechnology.net/projects/southernseawaterdesalinationplant/

1/3

6/15/2015

SouthernSeawaterDesalinationPlant(SSDP)WaterTechnology

northeastofHarvey.Thepipelinewillfacilitatethetransferofpotablewater
fromtheplanttotheintegratedwatersupplyscheme(IWSS).
Othercomponentsoftheprojectincludeaseawaterpumpstation,aseawater
intakepipelinetofeedseawaterintotheseawaterpumpstationandatwo
kilometrepipeline,todeliverthewaterfromthestoragefacilityinHarveyinto
theStirlingHarveyTrunkmain.

BackgroundtoWesternAustralia'swaterproject
TheproposalfortheSSDPwasannouncedbythePremierofWesternAustralia
inMay2007.Followingtheannouncement,WaterCorporationengaged
consultantstoconductvariousstudiestoassistwiththeprojectdesignand
meetthestatutoryrequirementsoftheFederalDepartmentofEnvironmentand
WaterResources(DEW)andWesternAustralia'sDepartmentofEnvironment
andConservation(DEC).
WaterCorporationreceivedconditionalenvironmentalapprovalfortheplantin
June2009.ConstructiononthenewplantcommencedinJuly2009,after
receivingfullprojectapprovalfromtheFederalGovernment.

ContractorsinvolvedwithWaterCorporation'splant
Environmentalmanagementconsultancy360Environmentalwas
commissionedinJuly2007toconductfloraandfaunainvestigationsatthe
plantandpipelinelocations.

"Theprojectwas
namedthe
Global
Desalination
PlantoftheYear
inApril2012at
theGlobalWater
Summitheldin
Rome."

KBRwasengagedtoundertakeanoceanographic
survey,preliminarydiffuserdesign,marine
hydrodynamicmodelling,coastalprocesses,sediment
characterisation,watercharacteristics,biomonitoring
andbenthichabitatstudies.
AnoisesurveywascompletedbyHerringStorer
Acoustics.Thesocialimpactassessmentand
sustainabilitystatementwerecompletedbyGHD.
BradGoodeandAssociateswascommissionedin
January2008toconductaSiteIdentificationAboriginal
HeritageSurvey.WorleyParsonshadundertaken
comparisonofthethreeshortlistedsites.

TheSouthernSeaWaterAlliance(SSWA)wasawardedthedesign,buildand
operate(DBO)contractforthedesalinationplantinlateJune2009.TheSSWA
consortiumisheadedbytwomultidisciplineconstructioncompanies,Tecnicas
Reunidas(38%)andValorizaAgua(38%).Engineeringconsultancyfirm
WorleyParsons(fivepercent)andconstructioncompanyAJLucas(19%)are
thepartners.
TheDBOcontractentitlesSSWAtooperatetheplantfor25years.Designand
installationofsevensectionalboltedtanksforthesecondphaseoftheproject
wascontractedtopmtWaterEngineering.
EnergyRecoveryhasbeencontractedtosupplyitsPXPressureExchangera
(PXa)devicesforthesecondphaseoftheproject.

PurposeandneedfortheSSDP
TheSSDPispartofWaterCorporation'sstrategicapproachforlongtermwater
sustainability.Thedesalinationplantwasorderedinresponsetothereduced
rainfallinthestate,populationgrowthandsubsequentincreaseinwater
consumption.
WesternAustraliahaswitnesseda12%declineinrainfallduringthelastten
years.Thishasloweredtheflowsofstreamintothedamsbyupto50%.Ithas
beenestimatedthatthestate'scapitalwillrequireanadditional150billionlitres
ofwaterby2031.Inordertoaddresstheseneeds,theSouthAustralian
GovernmentcommissionedtheSouthernSeawaterdesalinationproject.
Thenewplanthasthepotentialtodeliver30%ofthestate'swatersupplyfrom
http://www.watertechnology.net/projects/southernseawaterdesalinationplant/

2/3

6/15/2015

SouthernSeawaterDesalinationPlant(SSDP)WaterTechnology

climateindependentwatersources.Itisexpectedtodelivertotalpotablewater
savingsofupto1,200GLayear.
Relatedcontent

WonthaggiDesalinationPlant,Victoria,Australia
WonthaggidesalinationplantwillbethelargestinAustralia.

PerthSeawaterDesalinationPlant,Australia
WiththeofficialopeningofthePerthSeawaterReverseOsmosisPlantin
November2006,WesternAustraliabecamethefirststateinthecountrytouse
desalinationasamajorpublicwatersource.

KurnellDesalinationPlant,Australia
KurnelldesalinationplantislocatedinsouthSydney,NewSouthWales(NSW),
Australia.

GoldCoastDesalinationPlant,Queensland,Australia
TheGoldCoastDesalinationPlantisareverseosmosis(RO)seawater
desalinationfacilitylocatedinTugun,adjacenttoGoldCoastAirport,South
EastQueensland.

SouthernSeawater
DesalinationPlantis
WestAustralia's
secondmajor
desalinationproject.

TheSSDPisbeing
constructedintwo
stages.

Theheavyliftvessel
HappyBuccaneerwas
engagedtopositionthe
seawaterintaketowers.

http://www.watertechnology.net/projects/southernseawaterdesalinationplant/

3/3