Wind fires water plant: New green turbines to power desalination in Sydney

Daily Telegraph
Monday 15/10/2007 Page: 3

SYDNEY'S controversial desalination plant will be supplied with power from 75 wind turbines from as many as six wind farms to be built across the state. The $1.7 billion project will demand almost one-fifth of the country's wind-generated energy, providing the biggest ever boost to the state's green energy industry. Water Utilities Minister Nathan Rees will today issue a request for proposals from energy suppliers to power the 400,000MwH plant.

It follows a briefing by Sydney Water to 22 renewable energy providers earlier this month about supplying green energy to power Sydney's desalination plant. Mr Rees said proposals would be accepted from any provider accredited to supply clean, green energy to the national energy market: "As I have said repeatedly, Sydney's desalination plant will not produce a single kilogram of CO2 emissions.

"We will purchase 100 per cent accredited, clean, green energy from the renewable energy market to run the plant." Such a huge energy buy is probably the single biggest shot in the arm the green energy industry has ever had in Australia." Concerns were previously raised that the desalination plant would absorb almost all of the country's green power supply. It has since emerged that it will take only a sizeable chunk - and with renewable energy now a federal hot topic the industry is expected to grow rapidly enough to feed the plant.

There are currently six NSW wind farm projects that are ready to be built - located in Teralga, Crookwell, Woodlawn, Cullerin, Conroys Gap and near Goulburn - but they have not gone ahead because of uncertainty about carbon credits and emissions targets. Mr Rees said the desalination plant would almost certainly result in most or all of them being constructed soon.

The plant will require the output of approximately 75 wind turbines when it is running at maximum," he told the Daily Telegraph. "It's likely that such a huge new customer in the green power market will see more wind farms built in NSW in the near future." The plant's green energy demand comes on top of Sydney Water's recent announcement that the rest of its operations would become carbon neutral by 2020.

Mr Rees said the agency would have 20 per cent of its energy demands met by renewable sources within two years, thanks to the installation of hydro-electric and cogeneration plants to run sewage treatment plants and water pipelines across Sydney and Wollongong. "Ultimately, Sydney Water will eliminate or offset more than 400,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide each year, the equivalent of taking 100,000 cars off the road," he said. Sydney Water will be inviting submissions for its request for proposals until October 31. Following this process, a detailed tender will be issued next month, with a contract expected to be signed in early 2008.