Yalata’s new desal plant a green energy machine

With three months of water production under its belt, Yalata’s new state-of-the-art desalination plant is proving to be a green energy machine – reducing its power consumption by around 400 per cent compared to its predecessor.

A combination of more efficient pumps, economies of scale and scheduling production for times of peak solar radiance, has seen energy consumption fall from an average of 10,000 kilowatt hours per quarter prior to the upgrade to just over 2,000 kilowatt hours.

Located in the state’s Far West Coast, the new facility delivered more than five million litres of water to local residents and businesses in the Aboriginal community during its first three months of operation.

SA Water’s Senior Manager of Water Expertise and Research Dr Daniel Hoefel said the Yalata plant’s solar generation capacity has made it largely energy self-sufficient.

“Through clever design and construction, we’ve increased the plant’s capacity to secure a reliable water supply for our customers, while also reducing our environmental footprint,” Daniel said.

“Our new plant – which is capable of producing 180,000 litres of water per day – is predominantly powered by a 40-kilowatt solar array with back-up storage, and with increased throughput we’re able to produce enough water while the sun is shining to meet customer demand during the day and store water for supply overnight.

“In its first quarter of operation, the new desalination facility has used a fraction of the energy required to power the old plant.

“The old plant’s energy consumption got as high as 22,000 kilowatt hours per quarter last year, so it’s fantastic to see the new plant harnessing more clean energy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and operational costs.

“With our extensive water and wastewater operations across South Australia making us one of the state’s largest electricity consumers, we want to set an example as proactive environmental leaders by investing in sustainable infrastructure projects to help combat our changing climate.

“Importantly, upgrading our plant in Yalata ensures safe, clean drinking water into the future to support the health and wellbeing of the local Aboriginal community.”

Yalata’s new desalination plant utilises reverse osmosis technology to remove the naturally-occurring impurities like high levels of salinity, common within inland groundwater sources.

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