Check this article from Sunday Times (Perth).It looks that the Perth government is going heavy on this type of projects. CNM definetely will have a big share of this contracts, even not on the geothermal field, already considered as "The right way to go " Boy !!!! it is going to be huge .
50-year plan to harness oceanJoe Spagnolo
May 19, 2007 02:00pm
Article from: AAPFont size: + -
Send this article: Print Email
MAKING sea water fresh is now front and centre of the State Government's plans to combat WA's water crisis.
Water Corporation boss Jim Gill revealed to The Sunday Times that the authority would buy at least two sites between Bunbury and Lancelin before the end of the year for more desalination plants.
The sites -- one north of Perth -- are part of a 50-year plan to use the Indian Ocean to service Perth and regional areas.
Eighty potential sites along the coast were being eyed off for future desalination plants, Dr Gill said.
"The future of water supply in WA is sea-water desalination,'' he said.
"Today, the dams don't perform. Groundwater is running out. Even in the Goldfields we are doing more and more desalination in small towns to remediate water quality problems. Desalination is absolutely part of WA's future.
"We have been looking at sites right up and down the coast from Bunbury to Lancelin. ``We will make purchases by the end of the year. We are prepared to purchase them 50 years ahead. We have our eye on two more sites, but we have looked at 80 potential sites up and down the coast.''
Premier Alan Carpenter said this week that a second desalination plant would be built at Binningup, near Bunbury, on Water Corporation land.
As revealed by The Sunday Times last month, it will cost close to $1 billion and eventually produce 100 gigalitres of water a year, twice as much as the Kwinana plant.
The Government wants the plant to be powered by renewable energy and favours geothermal.
It has called for expressions of interest from companies to establish geothermal plants in WA, with the hope one will be built near the desalination plant.
"Energy Minister Fran Logan said 15 companies had responded.
He said he would introduce legislation shortly to allow companies to gain geothermal exploration licences.
"Once it is passed, I expect even greater interest in the prospect of developing geothermal power generation in WA,'' he said.
CNM
carnegie corporation limited
