Money down the drain
Minister says desalination plant a $15m per year insurance policy against drought
THE city’s mothballed $1.2 billion desalination plant could be turned on within four years, sparking fears Gold Coasters will be hit with big water bills.
Water Supply Minister Mark Bailey exclusively told the Bulletin the defunct plant would not be decommissioned despite costing taxpayers $15 million a year to sit idle.
A Seqwater spokesman said the plant would be needed to deal with Queensland’s booming population but denied ratepayers would be slugged with increased water bills.
However, Gold Coast water boss Paul Taylor said the flawed project would inevitably put pressure on bills.
“The desalination plant is sitting there doing nothing at a massive cost to taxpayers,” he said.
“The state owns the water and sells it back to us, so massive costs will indirectly increase the cost of water on the Gold Coast.
“Last year there was a 13 per cent increase in the cost of water. It is no wonder the price goes up when the State Government spends $15 million a year maintaining an asset that does nothing.”
Mr Bailey hailed the Gold Coast desalination plant as a “$15 million insurance policy” to protect Queenslanders from tough times.
“Water is a critical part of our daily lives and this desali- nation plant is the southeast’s $15 million insurance policy when times get tough in the drought or in natural disasters,” Mr Bailey said.
“As such, there are no plans to decommission the Gold Coast desalination plant.”
The plant has been used sporadically since becoming operational in 2010, but Mr Bailey said it would be a “saviour” in times of drought.
“Many people will remember when this desal plant was the saviour of southeast Queensland’s water supply during the devastating 2011 floods and more recently in 2013,” he said.
“At that time, it supplemented the southeast’s water supplies when Brisbane’s largest water treatment plant at Mt Crosby was shut down.
“Good governments, governments, for the future.
“Seqwater advises that in four years’ time, we may well need to use the desalination plant to ensure water supplies during peak demand periods over the summer.”
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