Update on the Victorian Desalination Project

The $3.5 billion Victorian Desalination Project is one of the biggest infrastructure projects in Victoria’s history.

It will deliver Australia’s largest desalination plant, securing a source of water for Melbourne and regional communities, independent of rainfall.

Located in Wonthaggi, the project’s main components are:

• desalination plant – with an initial production capacity of up to 150 billion litres of water a year (411 million litres per day) and the capability to expand to 200 billion litres a year (548 million litres per day)
• seawater intake/outlet – underground seawater intake/outlet structures
• transfer pipeline – 84 km of underground pipeline to connect the plant to Melbourne's existing water network
• power supply – 87 km of underground cable to connect the plant with the electricity grid
• fibre optic cable – underground cables to monitor performance of the pipeline and power line and provide capacity to improve communications services to local communities.

The initial production capacity means the desalination plant will be capable of supplying about a third of Melbourne's annual water needs.

The plant and pipeline will fully offset energy used from the Victorian electricity grid through the purchase of renewable energy certificates sourced by AquaSure via a 30-year fixed price agreement with AGL Energy.

AquaSure has pledged to deliver the most technically advanced, environmentally sensitive and energy efficient desalination facility in Australia.

The project will be completed by December 2011.

The Victorian Desalination Project site is located on cleared farmland behind coastal dunes near the township of Wonthaggi, about 135 kilometres from Melbourne.

AquaSure’s design and construction contractor, Thiess Degrémont, is regularly seeking enthusiastic and motivated people to work on this landmark project.

You could combine a great lifestyle with a satisfying role, enjoying excellent remuneration and employee benefits. Roles offer a chance to build your career, work with an exciting team and enjoy living in a beautiful part of Victoria. Local applicants in particular are strongly encouraged to apply.

Jobs created on the Victorian Desalination Project and through supply contracts mean direct economic benefits are flowing from the project with increased employment and spending at a state and local level.

The project is expected to create 4750 full-time equivalent jobs during construction. This includes 1700 direct jobs and as many as 3050 indirect positions.

A further 150 full-time equivalent jobs — 50 direct and 100 indirect — will be created to support the operation, maintenance and servicing of the plant.

The economic boost to Victoria during construction of the plant has been estimated at $1 billion.

There has been significant interest in the project from job seekers in and outside the local Bass Coast region. When Thiess Degrémont, the design and construction contractor for the project, first advertised labour and trade jobs in November 2009, it received 14,500 applications.

Recruitment is ongoing, with the workforce expected to reach its peak towards the end of 2010.

Local people are filling many of the construction jobs that have become available as part of the desalination project. It is estimated that around one third of labourers and tradesmen hired to date are from the local area and around half are from the broader Gippsland area.

Work has been available in areas such as site preparation, construction of buildings and provision of goods and services.

The construction phase is also having a flow on effect for the local economy through demand from a new workforce for products from local suppliers and additional business for retailers and other service providers.

To read more about the project: http://www.aquasure.com.au/project_description.php.