Desalination plant at Billy Lights Point

The government has announced the approval of the Development Application for the Eyre Peninsula desalination plant at Billy Lights point with conditions. This is a significant step forward in ensuring long-term water security for the region.

The Development approval follows extensive review and assessment by various government agencies and regulators to ensure comprehensive scrutiny of all the aspects of the project.

Once operational, the desalination plant will provide reliable, climate-independent water source for the Eyre Peninsula, supplementing the Uley South groundwater supply and ensuring water security for the region into the future.

Now that a development approval has been granted, we are in a position to progress other aspects of the project including commencement of early site works.

In addition to progressing the desalination plant as the solution to water security for the region, last week SA Water released our EP Water Security Response Plan, which includes moving to level 2, voluntary water-wise measures. This encourages our customers to adopt more efficient water use practices. As part of the water security response plan, from Monday 2 December, eligible customers on the Eyre Peninsula will be able to access rebates for select water efficient appliances and fixtures, helping to reduce water consumption both inside and outside the home. The water security response plan takes a responsible approach to preparing for all scenarios to maintain water supply to our 35,000 local customers until the desalination plant is operational.

We remain committed to working closely with all stakeholders to ensure the desalination project delivers water security with minimal impact to the surrounding environment.

Early site preparation works are planned to begin before the end of the year, with the first water from the plant expected to be delivered by mid-2026.

As part of this important water security initiative for the Eyre Peninsula, a transfer pipeline that will transport water from the plant to the North Side Hill tanks will be constructed. To inform its design, soil investigations and service location works will be undertaken by our contractor Leed Engineering between the hours of 7am and 5pm, from Monday 21 October through to Friday 25 October, weather permitting.

All work will occur along the proposed pipeline corridor and within the approved easement and council owned road reserve. You can expect to see a work crew, excavator, work vehicles and traffic management at various locations along the route shown in the map below.

If you have any questions or would like to discuss these works in more detail, please contact us directly on 0477 448 544 or at epdesal@sawater.com.au.

The Development Application process is underway, and we anticipate that a public hearing will be conducted by the State Commission Assessment Panel (SCAP) in November. Specific details about this activity will be provided by Planning and Land Use Services (PLUS). The project team is currently preparing a response document to address the public submissions received during the public notification period and the agency and council referral comments. In parallel, the design process is ongoing to allow for engagement with suppliers.

Overall, the Project remains on track for construction to commence in the first quarter of next year subject to us gaining approval of the Development Application, satisfying any conditions attached to an approval and obtaining the other necessary approvals.

Our Development Application (DA) for the Eyre Peninsula desalination project has been officially lodged with the State Commission Assessment Panel (SCAP).

This marks a significant milestone towards delivering a climate-independent source of drinking water to the Eyre Peninsula by mid-2026.

Our submission is the result of extensive technical detailed studies and valuable feedback from stakeholders resulting in key design changes to minimise environmental impacts. The DA includes detailed information on the proposed construction design, location of the intake and outfall pipelines, as well as findings of technical studies.

Moving forward, our DA will undergo thorough evaluation by various government agencies and regulators to ensure comprehensive scrutiny of all the aspects of the project.

Public consultation is being led independently by SCAP with the plans available online via their webpage and hard copies available at various locations:

• State Planning Commission: Level 9, 83 Pirie Street, Adelaide
• City of Port Lincoln: L1, Civic Centre, Tasman Tce.
• District Council of Lower Eyre Peninsula: 32 Railway Tce, Cummins
• The SA Water Project Information Centre: 6/50 Liverpool Street Port Lincoln

Members of the community are invited to make submissions in writing to the State Planning Commission before Thursday 25 July 2024, outlining any specific matters the planning authority should consider in the assessment of the proposal.

Thank you to everyone who gave up their Wednesday evening to share their views and ask questions as part of an important discussion about water supply and security for the Eyre Peninsula.

The Eyre Peninsula Landscape Board has indicated there will be a significant reduction in the licensed volume of water we can source from Uley South Basin once amendments to the Water Allocation Plan for the Southern Basins take affect from 1 July 2026 – see the Board’s media release. Uley South currently supplies the majority of water to the Eyre Peninsula.

In response to this advice, we are undertaking an urgent review of our broader water security response plan for the region, detailing what actions may need to be taken if there are changes to our ability to supply water from local groundwater sources or if there are significant delays to the delivery timeframe of our proposed desalination plant. These actions aim to maintain a level of water supply to the region while also protecting vital groundwater sources until a desalination plant is operating.

This plan will include working with the local community and stakeholders on a water efficiency program, as well as serious consideration to introducing staged water restrictions for primary production, industrial, businesses and residential customers.

This work will in happen in parallel with our continued plans to construct a desalination plant at Billy Lights Point, which we are working towards being operational by mid-2026. A climate-independent desalination plant remains critical to augment supply from an under stress Uley South Basin and deliver a long-term drinking water solution.

The Board’s review is prompted by findings from investigations and modelling by the Department for Environment and Water, which show if water extraction from Uley South continues at current rates, there is an increasing risk of further environmental decline and irreversible damage from saltwater intrusion.

We expect to complete a review of our water security response plan with the Eyre Peninsula community in coming weeks.

From late April through to May 2024, geotechnical activities will be undertaken using a barge and small drill rig to collect soil and rock samples from the ocean floor.

This will help us better understand the site’s geology to determine a potential construction method for the marine infrastructure which will connect to the proposed desalination project.

The geotechnical investigations will involve:

• Establishing a small jack-up barge in the east of Billy Lights Point.

• Drilling small diameter holes around 20-30 metres deep to extract samples for scientific analysis.

• Backfilling boreholes on completion of work.

Read the project update to find out more about these geotechnical investigations.

Thanks to everyone who came along to our forum in Port Lincoln this week, to learn about the range of employment and training opportunities available through our proposed Eyre Peninsula desalination project.

Close to 100 business owners and job seekers attended, where they heard from several speakers including our project director and contract partner ACCIONA.

With up to 230 jobs per year of construction to be created, along with new supply chain opportunities, it was fantastic to speak with local people about how they can work with us on this important water security project.

If you couldn’t make it to the forum but would still like to receive updates on related job opportunities, register your interest via the Industry Capability Network (ICN gateway) webpage.

We are continuing to mature the design for our proposed desalination plant at Billy Lights Point, with key changes made in response to feedback gathered through early engagement and further scientific analysis, reinforcing our commitment to minimising any impacts to the coastal and marine environment.

These changes include using a trenchless construction method for the installation of the plant’s intake and outfall pipes, and the placement of these pipes in a deeper area off the coast of Billy Lights Point within a higher flushing zone.

We have listened to and responded to feedback from the Project Reference Group and other key community groups, our regulators and various other government agencies, which highlighted the importance of minimising disturbance to the Billy Lights Point coastline and avoiding the shallow waters of Proper Bay.

We will need to conduct additional geotechnical studies to refine the scope of the trenchless construction method, and from March 2024, we will use a barge and small drill rig off the coast of our existing nearby wastewater treatment plant to collect soil and rock samples from the ocean floor.

This will enable a better understanding the site’s geology, to determine the exact type of construction method, which could include directional drilling or tunnelling.

The geotechnical work is expected to take several weeks to complete, and the results will help inform a detailed concept design which will be incorporated into our Development Application for the project.

To support this work, we will also be undertaking further hydrodynamic modelling within the preferred marine zone and a re-run of the particle tracking model, which will add to existing knowledge of mussel spat movement and narrow down the exact alignment and location of the intake and outfall pipes.

We are planning to place the pipes in a zone to the east of Billy Lights Point, up to 1.5 kilometres offshore and more than 2.5 kilometres from existing mussel leases. This location is near a commercial shipping corridor which extends from the marina to Cape Donnington and is within water around 10 to 15 metres deep.

The outfall for our Port Lincoln Wastewater Treatment Plant sits outside of this zone further to the south, and our extensive monitoring to date has demonstrated no negative impact to the local marine environment from this marine infrastructure.

Acciona has been awarded the contract for the Early Contractor Involvement (ECI) phase of the Eyre Peninsula desalination project. Acciona will be undertaking further investigations at the proposed desalination plant location of Billy Lights Point over the coming months to support SA Water in developing the detailed design of land and marine infrastructure as part of the project.