Australia

REVEALED: SA’s billion dollar water torture – Australia

Former SA Water chair, Essential Services Commissioner and ETSA CEO Lew Owens was last year appointed by Treasurer Rob Lucas to oversee an independent inquiry into water pricing in SA.

InDaily can reveal that Owens has distributed an interim report to stakeholders – entitled “A Cautious Conclusion” – whose economic modelling suggests the valuation of SA Water’s asset base has likely been overstated by at least $421 million – and as much as $1.071 billion.

Wellard puts focus on export process – Fremantle

WELLARD showcased the live trade industry last week when about 4500 head of cattle were loaded aboard the Ocean Swagman at Fremantle Port, as the company prepared to send them on an eight day voyage to Vietnam.

Wellard held guided tours of the vessel, which included a group of veterinarian students from the Murdoch University Vet School, to provide them with a better understanding of what it looked like and how things were done on board so that they understood the trade if they ever worked on a vessel in the future.

Fluence Secures US$50 Million BOOT Project Financing Facility – Melbourne

MELBOURNE, Australia & NEW YORK–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Fluence Corporation Limited (ASX: FLC) is pleased to announce that it has secured a US $50.0 million non-recourse debt facility for project financing of Build, Own, Operate & Transfer (BOOT) projects.

The facility is provided by a leading US-based sustainable infrastructure investment firm with extensive experience in financing infrastructure and renewable energy projects.

Fluence will have access to this facility on a project-by-project basis for 3 years for BOOT projects around the globe.

Former Australian minister to discuss SA water crisis – Cape Town – South Africa

Water Shortage South Africa along with global water expert Professor Anthony Turton and former minister of Victoria Professor John Thwaite are to have a discussion centred around the Cape Town water crisis.

Water Shortage South Africa CEO, Benoit Le Roy in a statement on Monday said Turton warns of the real estate bubble that could well burst in Cape Town as a result of poor leadership, both locally, and nationally during the water crisis.

Western Australia rolling out major innovation hub to deal with climate change – Perth – Australia

Western Australia state is rolling out a major innovation hub to help develop wastewater recycling technologies as part of the latest efforts to deal with the impact of climate change on the valuable resource.

“Given wastewater is 99.97 percent water, as it mostly comes from showers, baths and sinks, the potential to develop more recycling options for this resource is just beginning to be explored as we work towards a more sustainable future,” the state’s Water Minister Dave Kelly said in a statement late on Tuesday.

New water infrastructure for WA – Perth – Australia

New water infrastructure in Western Australia is set to have a significant impact on irrigated agriculture production in the Collie River, Harvey and Waroona districts.

Led by Collie Water, the $396 million project aims to reduce salinity in the Wellington Dam, WA’s second largest reservoir.

Deputy Prime Minister, Leader of The Nationals and Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development, Michael McCormack, said the Australian Government is committed to constructing the water infrastructure of 21st century.

Public wants Perth water to come from desalination plant – Perth – Australia

Almost half of people in WA want Perth’s next major source of drinking water to be another desalination plant, the biggest survey of its kind has found.

Releasing the results of an 18-month consultation to gauge public views about Perth’s water future, the Water Corporation said desalinated ocean water was by far the most popular choice for the city’s next supply source.

Desal plants might do less damage to marine environments than we thought – Sydney – Australia

The Conversation) Millions of people all over the world rely on desalinated water. Closer to home, Australia has desalination plants in Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth, the Gold Coast, and many remote and regional locations.

But despite the growing size and number of desalination plants, the environmental impacts are little understood.

Our six-year study, published recently in the journal Water Research , looked at the health the marine environment before, during and after the Sydney Desalination Plant was operating.

Berejiklian eager to switch on Sydney desalination plant – Sydney – Australia

It’s little wonder the Berejiklian government is eager to switch on the Sydney desalination plant and end the “water security mode” it has languished in since 2012.

At full bore, the Kurnell plant is designed to deliver about 91 billion litres of drinking water a year, meeting almost a sixth of Sydney’s annual needs.

Alkimos in the mix for Perth’s next $1 billion desalination plant – Perth – Australia

A giant desalination plant in Perth’s northern suburbs is in the mix to be the city’s next major drinking water source, with the Water Corporation set to undertake preparatory works.

The State-owned utility has revealed it is about to carry out a seismic survey of the seabed off Alkimos to identify potential issues or risks associated with building a desalination plant there.

Testing will begin on September 17 and last for three weeks, before a drilling barge is used for “core sampling” until November.

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