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Sydney desal plant loads first reverse osmosis cartridges

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On Monday December 21, Sydney Water hosted the media to watch and record the loading of the first reverse osmosis cartridges, at its new $1.9bn desalination plant.

  

On budget, on time and 95% complete, the first batch of 36,000 reverse osmosis membranes, were loaded into the plant’s main filtration building, as Sydney’s water storages hovered around 53% full.
The reverse osmosis membranes are the last, but most important pieces of the plant to be installed as it becomes set to provide clean drinking water for Sydneysiders this summer. Each membrane must be individually installed by hand because of its fragility, Sydney Water said.
While desalination can provide up to 15% of Sydney’s water supply, Sydney Water has designed the plant so it can be quickly upgraded to twice its size, if needed.
The government said that after more than two years of construction by the Blue Water Joint Venture, comprising John Holland and Veolia Water Australia, final testing of the plant was underway to provide up to 250 million litres a day. About 5000 people have worked on the desalination project, with 1500 workers on the plant and pipeline each day, at the peak of construction.
The desalination pipeline has been built by the Water Delivery Alliance, comprising Bovis Lend Lease, McConnell Dowell, Worley Parsons, Kellogg Brown and Root, Environmental Resources Management and Sydney Water.
Minister for Water Phil Costa, said the power needs of the desalination plant, will be fully offset by renewable energy produced at the Capital Wind Farm near Bungendore.
“Construction of the 18km pipeline from the plant at Kurnell to the city’s water supply is complete, with final tests and site restorations underway,” Costa said.
“Along with dams, recycling and water efficiency, desalination is one of four key ways to ensure Sydney has enough water in the future. By 2015 we will be recycling up to 12% of Sydney’s water, while water efficient devices such as taps, showerheads and washing machines will save up to 24% of the water we currently use,” he said.
 


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