White Elephant - Kurnell Desalination Plant

In November 2006, with water levels falling at Warragamba dam, the NSW Government approved the construction of a desalinated plant on the Kurnell Peninsula as a fall back position in times of drought.

This decision contradicted its own Metropolitan Water Plan 2006 and ignored over 600 submissions questioning the need for such a plant.

This decision is not in the public interest as the priority given to the desalination plant is out of all proportion to addressing future water needs.

This is the primary issue and umbrage can be taken at having such an ill conceived decision has been foisted upon the public as a fait accompli. It has been touted as the panacea against future water shortages. It is not. A desalination plant does not address the current water shortage.

The NSW Dept of Planning approved the construction of a desalination plant and associated infrastructure at Kurnell on 16 November 2006. The decision was a self serving, knee jerk reaction, by the NSW Government, in attempt to cover up the lack of responsible planning to meet the water needs of Sydney. It was a decision motivated by declining dam levels and not as a result of part of a water utility plan that is based on sound economic, environmental, sustainable and social criteria.

In fact it was a decision that contradicted the Premier’s statement in 2006 that a desalination plant was not necessary. It also ignored its own Metropolitan Water Plan 2006 which states that the desalination plant is an emergency drought response option, whereas the plant is now being promoted as a core component of supply.

Consequently, there needs to be a complete re-think about how existing water sources are managed before creating new and costly alternatives.