The quality, reliability and capacity of water supply to more than 100,000 people supplied through the historic Goldfields pipeline will be improved thanks to the new $300million Mundaring Water Treatment Plant.
Premier Colin Barnett and Water Minister Mia Davies today officially opened the plant - the first project to be funded, designed and built through a Public Private Partnership (PPP) in Western Australia's water industry.
Mr Barnett said the plant treated water from several sources including the Mundaring Weir, groundwater, a desalination plant and the Lower Helena Catchment, and would deliver major advances in the quality and reliability of water for people supplied through the Goldfields pipeline.
"This plant will allow an extra 10 gigalitres of water per year to be fed into the water supply from the Lower Helena Catchment for the first time in more than five years, while also providing the service at a lower cost than the public sector could, due to the initial competitive bidding process," he said.
"This is the first PPP to deliver a project to the WA water industry and it is an ideal platform for the Water Corporation to encourage more private sector involvement in service delivery into the future."
Ms Davies said the partnership was formed between the Water Corporation and Helena Water consortium comprised of Spain's ACCIONA Agua, TRILITY and UK-based Lloyds Bank.
"The private partners brought a wide range of experience in delivering water projects around the world, and an extensive track record in developing and operating PPPs," she said.
"There has been more and more private sector involvement in the water industry over the past 20 years, most recently through productive alliances such as this."
The project involved construction of a water treatment plant with an initial capacity to treat 162 million litres per day, making it the second largest conventional plant in WA. The plant can be expanded to treat up to 240 million litres per day. Helena Water will operate and maintain the plant for the next 35 years before handing it back to the Water Corporation.
Fact File
Partnership between the Water Corporation and Helena Water consortium comprising Spain's ACCIONA Agua, TRILITY and Lloyds Bank
The new plant improves the reliability and capacity of water supply for more than 100,000 people supplied through the historic Goldfields pipeline
Total water supplied to the Integrated Water Supply Scheme in 2013 was 285 gigalitres
Total water supplied to the Goldfields and Agricultural Region was 27.45 gigalitres
Premier's office - 6552 5000
Water Minister's office - 6552 5500
