The Alkimos seawater desalination plant (ASDP) has clinched another major milestone on its way to first water production in 2028.
What is believed to be WA’s largest water pipeline has been laid in Perth’s northern suburbs, supporting a 33.5km underground trunk main connecting the desalination plant with the Wanneroo reservoir.
Each 12m section of pipe weighs nearly nine tonnes and is expected to last around 120 years. More than 700 sections have arrived on-site, with another 2300 sections to go to complete the pipeline.
This project has seen the pipeline manufacturing, which has traditionally been completed in Victoria and trucked across the Nullarbor, localised in WA. An alliance comprising Water Corporation, Georgiou Group and DM Civil have been constructing the pipeline.
“This is another key milestone for one of the most critical infrastructure and engineering projects in WA over the last decade,” WA Water Minister Don Punch said.
“Made locally with WA materials and by WA workers, the pipeline and the wider ASDP project are integral to the state’s future water security.”
The ASDP will supply around 50 billion litres of water to around 2.5 million people, with potential for further expansion in the future. This will see groundwater abstraction reduced by 30 billion litres per year.
More than 1500 jobs are set to be created from the ASDP project. The pipeline alone is set to be completed in 2027 ahead of the plant coming online in 2028.
Other ASDP milestones that need to be achieved include power supply upgrades for the wider Alkimos water precinct (completion: October 2024–late 2025); the installation of seabed structures for intake and outfall diffusers that will connect with marine tunnels (completion: November 2025–June 2026); and pipeline construction for the Eglinton groundwater treatment plant (completion: mid 2025–late 2026).
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