List of desalination plants in Australia

As a result of the water supply crisis during the severe 1997–2009 drought State governments around Australia began building desalination plants that purify seawater using reverse osmosis technology. Many of these plants have included in their overall cost the building of renewable energy sources such as wind farms.

Australia's first working desalination plant was the Perth Seawater Desalination Plant that was completed in November 2006. A second plant on the Gold Coast began operations in February 2009. The Kurnell Desalination Plant in Sydney was opened on 28 January 2010.^[1]

List of desalination plants

Desalination plants in use

Plant	Capacity (Megalitres per day)	Capacity (Gigalitres per year)	Percent of water supply - at full capacity	Current status	Location	Completion
Gold Coast Desalination Plant	125	45	27% of South East Queensland	Operating at a minimum production level[2]	Queensland (Tugun) 28.157°S 153.497°E / -28.157; 153.497	2009
Perth Seawater Desalination Plant	130	48	17% of Perth	Provides 45 gigalitres a year[2]	Western Australia (Kwinana) 32.203°S 115.773°E / -32.203; 115.773	2006
Southern Seawater Desalination Plant (Binningup)	270	100	20% of Perth		Western Australia (Binningup) 33.129°S 115.703°E / -33.129; 115.703	2012[3]
Sydney Desalination Plant	250	84			New South Wales (Kurnell) 34.02475°S 151.205136°E	2012
Adelaide Desalination Plant	300	100	50% of Adelaide	Operating at a minimum production level[2] supplying 10% of SA water[4]	South Australia (Port Stanvac) 35.097°S 138.484°E / -35.097; 138.484	2012
Victorian Desalination Plant	410	150	33% of Melbourne		Victoria (Dalyston) 38°35′16.8″S 145°31′33.6″E	2012

Smaller desalination plants

State	Location	Capacity (Megalitres per day)	Status	Year Commissioned
Western Australia	Albany (Cape Riche)	34	Approved 2012
	Barrow Island (Gorgon gas project)	7	Operating
	Burrup (West Pilbara)	16.4	Operating
	Cape Preston (Sino Iron project, Pilbara)	140	Operating[5]
	Esperance	45	Proposed 2011
	Garden Island (Navy Base)	Unknown	Q1 2014
	Karratha	175	Planning
	Long Island (Houtman Abrolhos)	0.017	Operating
	Onslow (Wheatstone LNG)	11	[citation needed]
	Rottnest Island	0.55	Operating
	Undecided	150	Planning
South Australia	Hawker	0.44	Operating[6]
	Kangaroo Head (Penneshaw, Kangaroo Island)	0.3	Operating
	Leigh Creek	not known	Operating[7]
	Marion Bay	0.06	Operating	2008[8]
	Port Augusta (Sundrop Farms)	8	Operating
	Sleaford Bay	8	Planning 2018/19[9]
	Whyalla Steelworks (Arrium)	4	Operating
Queensland	Green Island	0.06	Operating
	Hamilton Island	1.5	Operating
	Hook Island	?	Operating
	Long Island (Club Crocodile)	0.12	Operating
	St. Agnes / 1770 (Gladstone)	1.5	Operating	2010[10]
Offshore	Christmas Island	4.5	Operating
	Home Island (Cocos & Keeling Islands)	0.35	Under construction 2014
	Timor Sea (Ichthys LNG)	0.5	?

Secondary desalination plants, citations^{[11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19]}

Desalination plants in development or cancelled

Plant	Capacity (Megalitres per day)	Location	Notes
Alkimos	unknown	Western Australia	Under construction, scheduled to open in 2028[20]
Anketell Point (Pilbara)	9.6	Western Australia	Approved 2013[21] then cancelled[22]
Bribie Island	unknown	Queensland	In dispute
North Stradbroke Island	unknown	Queensland	In dispute
Onslow Desalination Plant	2	Western Australia	[citation needed]
Point Lowly / Port Bonython (BHP)	280	South Australia	Approved 2011, not constructed
Point Paterson Desalination Plant	15	South Australia	Project cancelled
Port Spencer / Lipson Cove (Centrex Metals)	14-55	South Australia	Project cancelled
Sunshine Coast	unknown	Queensland	Suggested after 2028
Toukley	20	New South Wales	Approved 2007, construction deferred

See also

• Water portal

• Energy in Australia
• Seawater desalination in Australia