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Desalination plant | |
---|---|
Location | Lonsdale, South Australia |
Daily capacity | 300 megalitres per day, but has been operating (since 2012) at 10% of its capacity.[1] |
Annual capacity | 100 gigalitres per annum |
Cost | A$1.83 billion |
Energy generation offset | Renewable (TBA) |
Technology | Reverse Osmosis |
Percent of water supply | 50% of Adelaide |
Completion date | December 2012 |
Website | www.sawater.com.au |
The Adelaide Desalination plant (ADP), formerly known as the Port Stanvac Desalination Plant, is a sea water reverse osmosis desalination plant located in Lonsdale, South Australia which has the capacity to provide the city of Adelaide with up to 50% of its drinking water needs.
In September 2007, South Australian Premier Mike Rann announced that the State Government would fund and build a desalination plant to ensure Adelaide's water supply against drought.[2] The plant was financed and built by SA Water, a state-owned corporation.
The plant was initially planned to have a capacity of 50 gigalitres (GL) of water per year but was later doubled in capacity to 100 GL/year with the assistance of funding from the Australian Government. The expanded capacity represents around 50% of Adelaide's domestic water supply.
The project has engaged professional political lobbyists, including Michael O'Reilly.[3]
The plant was completed on time and within the original budget ($1.83 billion).
Stage one of the plant commenced operations in October 2011, and stage two commenced in July 2012.[4][5] The plant was officially opened on 26 March 2013.[6]
The Adelaide Desalination Project is the largest infrastructure project that the State of South Australia has funded, owns, and has completed successfully.[citation needed]
Since 2012, the plant has been operating at 10% of its capacity to keep it functioning. In 2017, it produced 2% of the state's water supply.[1]