Plant Is First Step in Helping Relieve Drought in
Southeast Queensland
Brisbane, Australia (August 31, 2007) – The Bundamba Advanced Water
Treatment (AWT) plant near Brisbane has produced purified recycled water for
the first time, achieving a significant milestone for Australia’s largest
recycled water scheme, the visionary $2.4 billion Western Corridor Recycled
Water project.
The purified recycled water from Bundamba AWT plant was piped from the plant
via a 7.3 kilometre, 800 millimetre diameter pipeline into the lake at the CS
Energy Swanbank Power Station near Ipswich. The continual water flow will
reduce the power station’s reliance on the drought-affected Wivenhoe Dam and
will ensure that the power station remains available to support Southeast
Queensland’s growing electricity needs in the midst of severe water
shortages.
The Bundamba AWT plant forms part of the Western Corridor project, which is
constructing a network of 200 kilometres of underground pipelines and three new
advanced water treatment plants. The venture, the third-largest advanced water
treatment project in the world, will help secure drinking water supplies in
Queensland into the future, while at the same time minimizing environmental
impact on the state.
In a joint statement issued on August 23, the Queensland State Premier Peter
Beattie and the Deputy Premier and Minister for Infrastructure Anna Bligh said
that the project team had delivered a world-class recycled water asset in
record time and had set a new benchmark in the construction industry.
“The Bundamba Advanced Water Treatment Plant is evidence of world’s best
practice and is a key part of the Government’s plan to accept wastewater from
Goodna and Bundamba wastewater treatment plants and convert it into purified
recycled water, Premier Beattie said in the statement. “While many said it
couldn’t be done, purified recycled water was delivered to Swanbank Power
Station as promised.”
Visiting the Bundamba plant earlier in the week, Deputy Premier Bligh said
commissioning of the micro filtration, reverse osmosis and advanced oxidation
units had undergone a stringent commissioning process.
“Consistent with the high level of treatment provided, the plant has
floor-to-ceiling specialist piping equipment, chemical storage tanks,
transmission and storage systems, databanks and a control room where the entire
process is continuously monitored,” she said.
Later in the day of the visit, Deputy Premier Bligh presented the first
bottle of water produced from the plant to the Queensland State Parliament.
The Bundamba AWT plant, delivered by a Thiess/Black & Veatch joint
venture, started only 10 months ago and has achieved ambitious targets. What
could have been a logistical challenge was instead a meticulously planned,
managed and executed project that delivered what it promised.
“We’re very pleased and proud that along with Thiess, our joint venture
partner, we are very close to completing the design, construction and
commissioning of this major advanced water treatment plant to a high standard,
safely and quickly,” said Ralph Eberts, Managing Director for Black &
Veatch’s water business in the Asia Pacific region.
“As part of our integrated global workforce deployed on this project, we
have some 60 professionals representing about 20 nationalities. These
professionals are located on site in Bundamba and Black & Veatch’s global
design and resource centres in Singapore, Hong Kong, India, the UK and the
U.S.,” he explained. “Our global approach to local project execution is a key
part of getting this advanced technology project delivered on time.”
The Bundamba AWT plant uses the latest membrane and advanced oxidation
technologies to provide purified recycled water for cooling and other processes
at the Swanbank Power Station. The main treatment steps – ultra-filtration
membranes, reverse osmosis membranes followed by advanced oxidation using
ultra-violet irradiation and hydrogen peroxide employed at the plant –
represent the gold standard for water reclamation.
To reach the first milestone, the Bundamba AWT workforce worked for about
490,000 hours, excavated more than 103,000 cubic metres of earthworks and
replaced it with engineering fill. They then poured 18,000 cubic metres of
concrete, connected 90 km of electrical installation cables and used 3900
tonnes of reinforcement structural steel along with transporting and installing
six control and switch rooms, two of these exceeding 80 tonnes.
Challenges were met on a daily basis, including completing one of the
largest transport movements in Southeast Queensland with the delivery and
installation of two clarified tanks measuring more than 12 metres in length,
8.3 metres in width and weighing more than 20 tonnes each.
“We deployed our global technology experts and industry specialists on the
consultancy and strategic stages of the Western Corridor Recycled Water
project,” said William Yong, Vice President, who is responsible for leading
Black & Veatch’s water business in Australia.
“As a result, we were able to develop an optimized treatment strategy for
the whole of the Western Corridor scheme, which resulted in significant project
savings while also helping to provide a higher quality of life to the
community,” said Yong.
About Black & Veatch
Black & Veatch is a leading global engineering, consulting and construction
company specializing in infrastructure development in energy, water,
telecommunications, management consulting, federal and environmental markets.
Founded in 1915, Black & Veatch develops tailored infrastructure solutions
that meet clients’ needs and provide sustainable benefits. Solutions are
provided from the broad line of service expertise available within Black &
Veatch, including conceptual and preliminary engineering services, engineering
design, procurement, construction, financial management, asset management,
program management, construction management, environmental, security design and
consulting, management consulting and infrastructure planning. With more than
$2 billion in revenue, the employee-owned company has more than 100 offices
worldwide and has completed projects in more than 100 countries on six
continents.
Black & Veatch’s global water business provides innovative,
technology-based solutions to utilities, governments and industries worldwide.
Local project teams work with multinational water and wastewater treatment
process experts to address site-specific challenges through a broad range of
consulting, study, planning, design, design-build and construction management
services. The company’s Web site address is www.bv.com.
Media Contact:
Jim Howlett
Phone +65 6738 4022
Ext 313
howlettj@bv.com
24-hour Media Line:
1-866-496-9149
###