Gold Coast Desalination Plant
| Location | Tugun, Queensland |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 28°09′26″S 153°29′49″E / 28.1571°S 153.497°ECoordinates: 28°09′26″S 153°29′49″E / 28.1571°S 153.497°E |
| Estimated output | 125 megalitres per day |
| Extended output | 167 megalitres per day |
| Cost | A$1.2 billion |
| Energy usage | Grid (renewable being discussed) |
| Technology | Reverse Osmosis |
| Percent of water supply | 27% of South-Eastern Queensland |
| Operation date | February 2009 |
| Website | Gold Coast Desalination Plant |
The Gold Coast desalination plant is a 125 ML/d (46 gigalitres per year) reverse osmosis, water desalination plant located in Tugun, a seaside suburb of the Gold Coast. It supplies water to the South East Queensland region via the South East Queensland Water Grid.
The plant first supplied water to the grid in February 2009. It is owned by Seqwater and operated by Veolia. The plant is currently in 'hot standby' mode, which means it is not in permanent use but is capable of being brought back on line when needed.
Water supplies in south east Queensland reached very low levels during Australia's 'Millennium Drought', primarily from 2003 to 2009. The region's major water storages reached around 50% of capacity in mid-2005 and 20% in mid-2007. In response to this worsening situation a range of water infrastructure projects were proposed to bolster supplies in south east Queensland.
The Gold Coast City Council initially developed a plan for a 55 ML/day desalination plan during 2005., which was anticipated to cost around $260 million. Due to worsening drought conditions, in 2006 the Queensland Government joined with the Gold Coast to expand the plan to a 133 ML/day plant that could share output with the entire region. The Queensland Government contributed $869 million to the expanded project, which was to be developed through a 50:50 joint venture.
The construction process was led by a group known as the Gold Coast Desalination Alliance. It consists of Veolia Water, John Holland Group, Sinclair Knight Merz and Cardno.
Investigations by the Gold Coast Desalination Alliance identified 13 possible sites of which three, Pimpama, Coombabah and Tugun, were short-listed. The Gold Coast City Council chose Tugun as the most suitable site for the desalination plan due to being closest to the coast, having low environmental impact and cost, and being best suited to achieving a timely construction process.
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