Desalination Plant, Wonthaggi Victoria and the role of EPA
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Resources
- EPA Works Approval
(PDF 225KB ) - Download EPA’s RDD Approval (PDF 517 KB)
- Previous Updates
Desalination Project Update
February 2012
Commissioning Approval for Desalination Project
EPA Victoria granted 30A commissioning approval to Aquasure Pty Ltd on 20 February 2012.
Commissioning approval will allow AquaSure to 'start -up' and test components of the desalination plant prior to operation. The production and management of wastes will be strictly controlled by EPA throughout commissioning.
- Section 30A Approval (PDF 54KB)
March - 2011
EPA has approved an amendment to Works Approval (WA64404) to remove condition 2.7 which refers to the use of chlorine gas. AquaSure made an improvement to this aspect of the plant design which will deliver better environmental and safety benefits.
Role of EPA
EPA currently has three main roles in confirming the environmental performance of the Desalination Plant:
- ensuring compliance with the Works Approval during the design and building phase of the plant;
- conducting regular inspections of works to ensure they are consistent with environmental standards; and
- responding to any incidents reported by Aquasure or a member of the public.
Incident Response
In the event of a negative environmental incident, Aquasure will be required to report the incident to EPA in a timely manner for appropriate response by EPA.
EPA will also respond to a report made by a member of the public.
Reporting pollution
To make a pollution or incident report phone: |
Operating Licence
Once constructed, the plant will be required to operate within the requirements of an EPA licence which will include enforcing strict controls on any discharges from the plant:
- An EPA licence will cover the actual operation of the site and set operating conditions as appropriate.
- The licence holder is responsible for ensuring the plant operates in accordance with the terms of the licence issued for the project.
- The Environment Protection Act 1970 specifies penalties for breach of licence conditions, or for operating a site without a licence.
- Further details about EPA licences can be obtained at http://www.epa.vic.gov.au/bus/licences/licences.asp
Background and history
EPA has been responsible for assessing the environmental performance of the proposed desalination plant, since an Environmental Effects Statement was required of DSE at the end of December 2008.
- Download EPA’s submission on the EES for the VDP (PDF 1.1 MB)
Works Approval
Before the desalination plant was approved, EPA's role was to determine whether the proposed design met the requirements for the protection of the environment in accordance with the Environment Protection Act 1970.
Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE) were required to submit a Works Approval application under the Environment Protection Act 1970. The Works Approval application was advertised and exhibited jointly with the Environment Effects Statement (EES).
The works approval application comprised a Reference Project, Variations to the Reference Project and a set of Environment Performance Requirements which have been established to ensure environmental protection.
EPA issued Works Approval (WA 64404) to DSE on the 3rd of March, 2009.
Research Development and Demonstration Approval
EPA issued a Research, Development and Demonstration (RDD) for DSE to construct and operate a pilot plant to trial desalination of sea water at Wonthaggi on the 16th October 2008. The RDD approval required DSE to prepare an Environment Management Plan for the trials and meet strict operating and reporting conditions. EPA carefully assessed the environmental impacts of the proposed activities and the nature and duration of the trial.
Under section 19D of the Environment Protection Act 1970 an occupier of a scheduled premises can apply for RDD approval to trial or demonstrate projects, which would otherwise require a works approval.
Pollution Abatement Notice
On 7 June 2010, AquaSure Pty Ltd was served with a Pollution Abatement Notice (PDF 389KB) following a review of critical management systems and an inspection of the site by EPA officers and an independent expert who noted several ongoing issues* that had the potential to impact the environment.
* Reference to self-reported minor Environmental Incident Notifications is for completeness and is not related to the PAN