Adelaide desalination plant could be used to ease SA’s reliance on River Murray water

South Australia’s $2.2 billion desalination plant would be used to help River Murray flows, under a plan the State Government will consider.

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South Australia’s $2.2 billion desalination plant would be used to help River Murray flows, under a plan the State Government will consider.

A $2 million report examining South Australian water use, including how the desalination plant could be better used, is expected to be handed to Environment Minister David Speirs within months.

Mr Speirs told The Advertiser the report could provide the evidence needed to use the desalination plant to help reduce the amount of water that needs to be taken from the Murray for drinking water.

However, the State Government will not do so without assistance from the Commonwealth to avoid any increases in bills for SA Water customers.

The timing has paved the way for it to become a key Federal Election issue before voters go to the polls for what is expected to be a May election.

It has already drawn initial support from Centre Alliance, which could play a key role in securing support for Federal funding.

The Adelaide desalination plant at Lonsdale.

It comes as federal Labor this week makes a significant move into the politics of the Murray-Darling Basin by introducing a Bill to scrap the 1500 gigalitre cap on water buybacks for farms.

The desalination plant has a 100GL/year capacity — about 50 per cent of Adelaide’s domestic water supply.

Mr Speirs said he was “open to any way in which we can fast-track the delivery of the 450GL of environmental water required for the health of the river”.

“Investigations into how the Adelaide desalination plant could help with the implementation of the Murray-Darling Basin Plan, including the delivery of the environmental water, are ongoing with results expected in the coming months,” he said.

“It’s important to point out that the desalination plant will only be used if it can be shown that it will not affect water security in South Australia nor result in increased costs to SA water users.”

Centre Alliance Senator Rex Patrick told The Advertiser the party would support any effort that helped the river, with a caveat.

The River Murray, downstream from Mannum.

Inside the desal plant. Pictured is the intake pump station, eight meters below sea level. Picture: Dylan Coker

“We don’t want this to contribute to the flows that need to be delivered only for those flows to be taken by irrigators,” he said.

Adelaide University Professor of water and environmental policy, Mike Young, said that “any decision to use Adelaide’s desalination plant should be based solely on economic considerations”.

“When the marginal cost of pumping water from the River Murray and treating it is cheaper than using desalination water that is what the nation should do,” he said. “As a nation, Australia cannot afford to go on subsidising agricultural water use.”

Murray-Darling Basin Royal Commissioner Bret Walker was last month critical of using the desalination plant, arguing the SA Environment Department received a report in 2016 that showed it was not viable.

Inside the Adelaide desalination plant.

However The Advertiser understands the Government believes fluctuations in both energy and water prices make any historical reports unreliable.

Mr Walker did however suggest scrapping the cap on water buybacks.

Labor’s frontbench on Monday agreed that the party would put forward a private Senators Bill this week to repeal the 1500GL cap on water buybacks.

It believes this will put more pressure on state governments to deliver projects that return water to the river.

Premier’s move to end state’s water fight

STATE Parliament will today be urged to back a “bipartisan” front to ensure the River Murray rescue plan is implemented in full, as the Marshall Government mounts a rearguard defence of Environment and Water Minister David Speirs.

The Advertiser can reveal Premier Steven Marshall’s first order of business when sitting resumes today, after the holiday break, will be to move a motion that would endorse his position that SA “must continue to work together in a genuinely bipartisan way” with upstream states and the Federal Government to implement” the Murray-Darling Basin Plan.

It follows highly critical commentary of Mr Speirs in the River Murray royal commission released last month.

Commissioner Bret Walker reported Mr Speirs’ agreement to change conditions on the release of water into the river could “not merely be described as ill-advised”.

“It is nothing short of a capitulation to the interests of the current Commonwealth Government, and those of Victoria and New South Wales,” he wrote, adding Mr Speirs was “almost certainly” in breach of the ministerial code of conduct”. Opposition Leader Peter Malinauskas at the weekend foreshadowed Mr Speirs would be the focus of heavy scrutiny as Parliament returned, having accused him of “running away” from a fight over the Murray and “selling SA up the river”.

— Daniel Wills