Veolia given Sydney wastewater reuse licence

New South Wales premier Nathan Rees announced on 7 May 2009 that Veolia Water has been issued the first licence under the Water Industry Competition Act 2006 to construct, maintain and operate a new recycled water plant at Fairfield, Sydney Australia, as part of the Rosehill Recycling Scheme.

This will initially provide 4.3 million m³ of reused wastewater a year to industrial and irrigation customers in Western Sydney.

A second licence has also been issued to Aquanet Sydney, a division of Jemena, to allow the high-quality recycled water to be transported to users through a network of retrofitted gas pipes.

Mr Rees said the first stage of the recycling network would service seven large industrial customers in Rosehill and Smithfield.

“This is a clever, new recycled water network for industrial users in Western Sydney that will save drinking water and create construction jobs,” he said. “Among the foundation customers are Marubeni Australia Power Services, the Sydney Turf Club which owns Rosehill Racecourse and the Shell refinery at Clyde.”

Construction of the recycling plant is expected to commence later this year, following planning approvals. Rees said that the new plant was scheduled to be operational by 2011.

Water Minister Phil Costa said the Government would impose stringent regulations on all private water and sewerage operators to protect consumers, water quality and the environment.