Desal plant to go ahead in weeks

Daily Telegraph
Friday 19/1/2007 Page: 1

THE NSW State Government has admitted it may have to start building the controversial $1.2 billion desalination plant within weeks, with Sydney dam levels dropping to a record low yesterday.

However, a State Government report has revealed that there may not be enough available "green power" in Australia to run the largescale option, without denying access to new residential and commercial consumers.

Dam levels in Sydney yesterday drew closer to the critical 30 per cent capacity trigger - dropping to a record low of 35.4 per cent.

Water Minister David Campbell's office conceded it looked likely that the plant would be given the "green light" within eight to 10 weeks - as Premier Morris Iemma prepares to go to the polls. However, it has not officially been given the go-ahead. The Government faces fresh controversy over the plant, with concerns about meeting its promise to power it using green energy sources.

Premier Morris Iemma's pledge in February 2006 that it would use "100 per cent renewable energy" to avert climate change concerns, is now in question with the discovery that a 500-megalitre plant would consume the entire capacity of "green power" in Australia.

A Sydney Water report into the plant from August 2006, now posted on the Planning Department website, stated that the preferred option would be to purchase electricity from the green power scheme - which supplies power to the national grid from renewable energy sources.

To run a 500-megalitre plant, the document reveals, would require almost a million megawatt hours (mW/h) - the equivalent of all remaining green power currently available nationally. The current installed capacity is 1.5 million mW/h. But 480,000 mW/h is already used by residential consumers.

Mr Campbell's office claimed it was only planning to build a 125-megalitre plant initially, which would still consume a quarter of all national green power reserved for new residential and commercial customers. But documents show Planning Minister Frank Sartor has given approval for 500 mW/h plant at Kurnell.

Nationals leader and Opposition Water spokesman Andrew Stoner said the Coalition would not build it, if it won office.

"We will use our $1 billion drought proofing fund to provide a $1500 rebate for rainwater tanks on the condition they are plumbed in, implement large-scale water recycling, repair leaky pipes and mains, and harvest billions of litres of stormwater," Mr Stoner said.

"The Government's own documents reveal it is impossible for Morris Iemma to deliver on his promise to operate the plant on 100 per cent renewable energy." A spokesman for Mr Campbell said there was 125ha of "DA-approved" wind farm capacity, which was three times what was needed for a 125-megalitre plant which could be accessed.

However, none of that has been built and there are currently no plans for construction. Mr Campbell's office also conceded that there was provision to "scale up" to the larger plant if needed.

Officially in water crisis:

• Dam levels have fallen to 35.4 per cent
• Trigger point for building $1.2 billion desalination plant is 30 percent
• Authorities say trigger time will be in eight weeks
• State Government's pledge to have a "100 per cent" renewable energy plant unlikely to be fulfilled.