Victorian Desalination Project

Project Proponent: Department of Sustainability and Environment (Capital Projects Division)

On this page:


Exhibition of EES
The Environment Effects Statement (EES) for the Victorian Desalination Project was released for public comment for a period of 30 business days, from 20 August to 30 September 2008. The EES can be downloaded from the website www.ourwater.vic.gov.au/programs/desalination/environment.

A Works Approval Application for the desalination plant has been submitted to the Environment Protection Authority (EPA) and was jointly exhibited with the EES. A summary of the EPA Works Approval Application can be downloaded from the EPA website.

Submissions
The period for submitting submissions on the EES and/or Works Approval Application has closed.
PDF Icon List of submissions (PDF - 47 KB)

View the submissions received on the EES. (Note: this link takes you to an external website. Use your browser's 'Back" button to return to this page.)

Whilst the submissions can be viewed on-line, the security applied to the documents in the process of blacking out the contact details means that you will not be able to print them out.

Inquiry
The Minister for Planning has appointed an Inquiry under the Environment Effects Act 1978 to consider the Victorian Desalination Project.
    The Inquiry members are:
    • Kathryn Mitchell – Chair
    • Chris Harty
    • Garth Lampe
    • Greg Sharply
    • Nick Wimbush
    Information about the Inquiry, its key dates and Terms of Reference are outlined below:

    PDF Icon Information about the Inquiry (PDF - 162 KB)
    PDF Icon Terms of Reference (PDF - 3.0 MB)

    The inquiry held a public briefing session on 10 September 2008 at 8 Nicholson Street, East Melbourne at which the Proponent and its specialists outlined the content of the EES and the Works Approval Application.

    PDF Icon Notice of Public Briefing Session (PDF - 102 KB)
    Presentations made by the Proponent at the public briefing session:

    PDF Icon EES Overview Presentation (PDF - 890 KB)
    PDF Icon EES Reference Project Presentation (PDF - 1.4 MB)

    Hearings
    A Directions Hearing was held on Wednesday 8 October 2008 at the Cardinia Cultural Centre, Lakeside Drive, Pakenham.

    The Inquiry held public hearings In Pakenham and San Remo to assist the Inquiry in its consideration of the EES and the submissions made to it. These hearings commenced on Tuesday 14 October 2008 and concluded on Friday 7 November 2008.

    Documents tabled at the Hearings
    PDF Icon Desalination Inquiry Document List as of 11 November 2008 (PDF - 92 KB)

    Documents tabled at the Inquiry Hearings are published on this site. (Note: this link takes you to an external website. Use your browser's 'Back" button to return to this page.)

    Additional information supplied to the Inquiry
    In response to a request from the Inquiry on the final day of the hearings, the EPA has provided further advice on:
    • proponent's 'Response to EPA Questions', tabled at the Inquiry on 7 November 2008;
    • performance requirements;
    • statutory provisions for amendment of a Works Approval: and
    • clarification of EPA's advice on the classification of waste
    PDF Icon EPA response to Inquiry request for advice (PDF - 330 KB)

    Project History
    Required assessment process
    On 28 December 2007, the Minister for Planning determined that the Victorian Desalination Project requires assessment under the Environment Effects Act 1978.
    PDF Icon Wonthaggi Desalination Project EES - Minister's Decision (PDF - 26 KB)

    On 4 February 2008, the Australian Government determined that the Desalination Project is a controlled action requiring approval under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act). The Australian Government has accredited the assessment process under the Environment Effects Act 1978 as the required assessment process under the EPBC Act.

    Scoping requirements
    The scoping requirements for the Victorian Desalination Project EES provided guidance on environmental effects and related matters to be investigated and then documented in the EES. Draft scoping requirements for the EES were placed on public exhibition from 21 February 2008 until 13 March 2008. After considering public submissions on the draft scoping requirements, the Minister for Planning issued the final scoping requirements for the EES on 4 May 2008.

    View EES Scoping Requirements here:

    PDF Icon Final Scoping Requirements Desalination Project (PDF - 1.3 MB)

    Independent Expert Group
    The Department of Planning and Community Development has appointed an Independent Expert Group (IEG) to provide advice on the design and soundness of key studies for the Desalination Project EES.

    The IEG consists of experts in the fields of oceanography, marine ecology, water and sediment quality and desalination technology. Its members are:
    • Adjunct Prof. Desmond Lord, University of Western Australia, specialist in oceanography
    • Dr Jenny Stauber, CSIRO Centre for Contaminant Research, specialist in water and sediment quality
    • Mr Tom Pankratz, independent consultant from the USA, specialist in desalination technology
    • Prof. Michael Keough, Melbourne University, specialist in marine ecology.
    The IEG has provided the following advice to the Inquiry.
    • Document No 017 - IEG report (advice on the EES)
    • Document No 182 - IEG response to Inquiry questions
    This and any other documents provided by the IEG will be included in the Documents tabled at the Hearings section of this page.

    Project Description
    In June 2007, the Victorian Government announced the Next Stage of the Government’s Water Plan which includes development of a seawater desalination plant on the coast near Wonthaggi.

    Associated infrastructure includes tunnels connecting the plant to marine intake and discharge structures, an 85km pipeline to connect the plant to Melbourne’s water supply system, and power supply infrastructure for the plant.

    The plant is intended to provide up to 150 billion litres of additional water to Melbourne, Geelong, Westernport and South Gippsland with the potential to expand production to 200 billion litres per year.

    Further Information
    • Media enquiries: Contact Luke Enright on 0409 952 447
    • Questions about the project: Contact Department of Sustainability and Environment’s Project Information Office 1 McBride Avenue, Wonthaggi on 1800 811 214, (03) 5671 3900 or 136 186
    • Questions about the EES process: Contact Department of Planning and Community Development, Environment Assessment Unit on (03) 9637 9624
    • Questions relating to the submissions and Inquiry process should be directed to Planning Panels Victoria on (03) 9637 9692
    • Questions about the EPA Works Approval Application process should be directed to the EPA South Metropolitan Regional Office on (03) 8710 5555

    Please note: Document(s) on this page are presented in PDF format. If you do not have the Adobe Reader, you can download a copy free from the Adobe web site.

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    DPCD's websites are progressively being updated to reflect the changes following the establishment of the department. This means you will continue to see some references to the Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE) as changes are being made.