WESTERN Australia has moved a step closer to building a second desalination plant, after the $955m project was approved by the state’s Environmental Protection Authority and Environment Minister, Donna Faragher.
The WA Government was satisfied by the marine and land environmental assessments that any impacts could be managed. The state Water Minister, Graham Jacobs, described the approval as significant milestone in the plant’s development.
The entire desalination project includes the plant itself, a network of pipelines and a range of other infrastructure.
The proposal is still awaiting environmental approval from the Federal Government, expected in the middle of the year.
Jacobs says the desalination plant would provide greater protection of the Gnangara groundwater system. The plant will help reduce drinking water abstraction from the Gnangara Mound to a more sustainable level.
The Water Minister also says another major drinking water source would not be required until 2017 at the earliest, once this second desalination plant is commissioned.
Add your comments