LUCAS: DESALINATION PLANT MUST BE BUILT TO LAST

Acting Premier Paul Lucas said the commissioning process for the Gold Coast Desalination Plant had identified several issues that needed to be rectified before the State Government accepted handover of the facility.

Mr Lucas said Water Secure – the State Government body that will ultimately own the desalination plant – will not accept handover of the $1.2 billion facility until all these faults are fixed.

Mr Lucas said the most pressing issue was 45 pipe couplings in the reverse osmosis section that have shown signs of early corrosion and could see repairs needed in the future if not fixed now.

“Ultimately it will be able to produce enough water for more than 700,000 people at Target 170,” Mr Lucas said.

“The plant is designed to last at least 50 years and Water Secure will make sure all these issues are fixed before this project is handed over.

“However, importantly Water Secure, expect all of the problems identified will be repaired within the project’s approved cost estimate ensuring the value for money for the taxpayers of Queensland.

“The best replacement parts are being established now and work will begin as soon as possible. But I want to make it absolutely clear we are talking about work that could take several months, some of these parts may need to be custom made.

“This is about protecting taxpayer’s dollars – now and in the future.

“Hinze Dam is full and our combined dam levels are now 46%. We are already pumping 70ML of water a day from the Hinze Dam to Logan and Brisbane and this will continue.

“We have got time to get this absolutely right.”

Mr Lucas said other issues identified during commissioning included:

• Faults with pipes joining the reverse osmosis skids, most of which may need to be replaced.
• A problem with the plant’s water valves. The supplier has agreed to progressively replace these valves.
• Excessive vibration in the reverse osmosis system. This is not unknown on start up and is being progressively addressed.

“Commissioning work will continue at the plant to address some of these problems, until the replacement couplings are ready to be fitted,” said Mr Lucas.

“This is the largest desalination plant ever built on the east coast of Australia, so some teething pains are to be expected.

“To have it built in just two years and within estimated costs is a significant achievement.”

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Media Contact: Matthew Klar 0437 435 223 or Robert Hoge 0419 757 868