Leighton Holdings has announced that Victoria's $6.1 billion desalination plant has begun its first large-scale drinking water production.
According to a recent report, the Victorian Desalination Plant has been successfully producing drinking water in the past seven days during the first phase of testing process. According to Leighton, this highlights the important engineering achievements that have been realised to design and build Australia’s largest desalination plant.
Leighton Holdings’ Chief Executive Officer, Hamish Tyrwhitt, said earlier this week that the first water production was a significant milestone for the plant.
"We are now operating at around 33 per cent of the plant’s capacity (150 000 m3/D) and will gradually progress to produce 450 000 m3/D at year end,” he said.
“At the Victorian Desalination Plant, Thiess Degrémont is designing and constructing the reverse osmosis desalination process plant, associated marine tunnels and structures, an 84km water transfer pipeline and a co-located underground powerline to supply power to the plant,” said Tyrwhitt.