The location of a desalination plant in the region could be decided by the end of the year, amid suggestions it will be on the “northern Sunshine Coast”.
The region’s water authority, Seqwater, is conducting a detailed business case for the facility, which is expected to provide South-East Queensland with a more reliable water supply.
Seqwater owns land at Meridan Plains and former premier Annastacia Palaszczuk told state parliament last year that Kawana had been earmarked as a possible location.
But the Minister for Water, Glenn Butcher, revealed during a recent Estimates Committee Hearing that the plant could be built on the “northern Sunshine Coast”.
“We need manufactured water, which is what a desalination plant on the northern part of the Sunshine Coast will do,” he said.
Mr Butcher was asked by the LNP’s spokesperson for water, Deb Frecklington, where the start and end of “northern Sunshine Coast” were. But he did not specify.
Ms Frecklington also asked if Caloundra and Noosa were being considered as locations, but Mr Butcher did not provide further details.
“The site that will be chosen … will be a position that is closest to the water grid and close to the ocean, where the extraction comes from,” he said.
The state’s only desalination plant is at Tugun on the Gold Coast.
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An Seqwater spokesperson said a second plant could be built on the Sunshine Coast and detailed how it could benefit the region.
“As part of our long-term water security planning, Seqwater is currently investigating the potential of a second desalination plant in South-East Queensland, in the northern region,” they said.
“Just like the existing desalination plant on the Gold Coast, a new desalination plant wouldn’t rely on rainfall to operate and could supplement the SEQ water grid during times of severe weather such as floods and drought, due to the climate-resilient benefits desalination provides.
“This project is in the business case phase, assessing the location, capacity and timing for delivery.”
The analysis is expected to be finished by the end of the year, when details on possible locations should become clearer.
The spokesperson said a new water supply was required relatively soon.
“The region’s population is booming, putting greater demand on existing water supply assets,” they said.
“Through the known impacts of climate change, we could also experience less reliable supply from our dams into the future, with research suggesting SEQ could see an increase in the annual average temperatures and levels of evaporation, as well as potential impacts to the volumes of inflows into our dams.
“Current modelling shows the next major enhancement of the SEQ water grid could be needed by 2035. That is some time away, but it’s important that we start to plan now, to ensure we’re well prepared for the future.”
The SEQ water grid is a connected network of bulk water assets including dams, water treatment plants and climate-resilient assets, including the Tugun plant that can supplement supply as required by turning sea water into drinking water.
A possible desalination plant on the Sunshine Coast could do the same. Sea water would be pumped to the facility, where salt and impurities would be removed to produce clean water.
The deputy leader of the state Opposition and Member for Kawana Jarrod Bleijie said the Liberal National Party was opposed to the idea.
“The only party that wants desalination plants on Sunshine Coast beaches is Labor,” he said.
“The Palaszczuk-Miles Government will keep their plans (regarding a location) secret until after the October election.
“The Water Minister recently revealed at Budget Estimates that multiple sites on the Sunshine Coast are being looked at.
“They’ve refused to rule out building one in Caloundra.
“The only way to ensure no desalination plants will be built on Sunshine Coast beaches is to vote for the LNP.”
Andrew Wallace, the federal Member for Fisher – which includes Caloundra and Kawana – has previously said a plant on the Sunshine Coast would be expensive and there were “environmental red flags surrounding desal plants, including high-demand energy requirements and discharge concerns”.
The state Member for Caloundra, Labor’s Jason Hunt, said the region’s water supply needed to be addressed.
“The Water Minister Glenn Butcher announced in October a comprehensive long-term plan for water security across the South-East,” he said.
“This plan included connecting Wyaralong Dam to the South-East Queensland water grid, expanding the Gold Coast Desalination Plant and doing the planning work for a future desalination plant, likely to be in the northern part of South-East Queensland.
“Seqwater is undertaking a detailed business case for the new desalination plant and this work will look at size and location of the proposed plant.”
Seqwater CEO Neil Brennan has previously told SCN there would be community consultation and there would be no adverse effects on the environment.
“Our desalination process is carefully designed to cause no harm to the existing ecosystem or marine life,” he said.
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