Australian steel producer OneSteel has contracted Osmoflo to finance, design, build and operate for 10 years a 4,000 m³/d desalination facility at its Whyalla plant on the river Murray in South Australia.
Traditionally, OneSteel’s Whyalla operation has relied on the Murray for potable water. A desire for greater long-term water security and preservation of river water for community needs, resulted in the company embarking on its innovative “Make a Gigalitre of Water” program under which interested parties were invited to submit proposals for consideration.
Earlier this year Osmoflo was selected as preferred tenderer on the strength of its overall solution, project approach and price over the life of the contract.
The desalination plant will have two trains each featuring microfiltration pretreatment followed by reverse osmosis modules to remove salts, along with electrical and ancillary systems and storage. The plant will feature energy-saving technology and remote control capability.
Throughput will be 1.5 million m³/year and commissioning is scheduled for July 2011.