Kurnell desalination plant could be switched on for Australia Day as dam levels continue to drop
The desalination plant at Kurnell could start filtering seawater into drinkable water for metropolitan Sydney as soon as this weekend as dam levels continue to drop.
The desalination plant may be turned on as soon as this weekend as dam levels continue to drop.
The water from the Kurnell plant, which filters seawater into drinkable water, will be supplied to metropolitan Sydney.
Water bills will rise when the plant is turned on with the independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal saying last year that once the plant is in full production households will be paying on average an extra $45.
However the government estimates it will add $25- $35 per household depending on usage.
The bill increase will be paid through a $0.12 per kilolitre increase in water usage charges and an adjustment to water service charges.
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If the plant is turned on, it will be the first time it has been used since it was built over a decade ago.
Once it’s switched on it must supply drinking water for at least 14 months.
The plant will only be turned on if water levels across the state’s dams dip below 60 per cent.
Last night they were at 60.3 per cent having lost half a per cent in the last week.
It’s understood the plant will supply about 15 per cent of Sydney’s total water needs.
The plant supplied water to Sydney between 2010 and 2012 during the “proving period”.
It operated at full capacity during this period and produced up to 250 million litres of water a day.
The plant was extensively damaged in a tornado in 2015.
The Baird Government sold a 50 year lease on the plant in 2012 for $2.3 billion.
NSW Treasurer Dominic Perrottet said the drought was to blame.
“Labor built the desalination plant but they couldn’t get the basics right. Sydney had major problems with water quality including cryptosporidium and giardia,” he said.
“Water leakage from the system was up to 70 per cent higher under Labor than now and prices were skyrocketing.”
“We have all seen the devastating drought in rural NSW. Sydney is not immune and our water security is paramount.”
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