Milestone for state infrastructure project

AdelaideAqua, a multinational consortium of companies comprising McConnell Dowell Constructors, Abigroup Contractors, ACCIONA Agua, and United Utilities Australia, has officially started earthworks on the Port Stanvac site, in Adelaide’s southern suburbs, this week. The company’s contract involves a 20-year agreement to design, construct, operate and maintain the desalination plant.

The state government announced in February that AdelaideAqua had been awarded the contract to develop the 50-gigalitre-a-year plant to provide about a quarter of Adelaide’s total water supply.

“The Adelaide Desalination Plant is arguably one of the most crucial infrastructure projects in the history of this state,” AdelaideAqua Project Director Jim Frith said.

“Our consortium and SA Water are committed to securing SA’s future water supply, with the first ‘official’ water from the desalination plant due in December 2010."

Frith said the consortium had “hit the ground running” since being awarded the desalination plant contract.

In that time, AdelaideAqua had commenced:

• Detailed design for the desalination plant and marine works;
• Site survey, geotechnical and other data collection in the local area for use in the development of the detailed design;
• Stakeholder engagement;
• Preparing construction management plans including detailed environmental obligations and compliance plans.

This week, major on-site work began including mobilising a fleet of heavy earthmoving equipment, establishing all site facilities, implementation of management plans and environmental controls, and commencing bulk earthworks to prepare the foundation for the desalination plant buildings and the marine tunnel shafts.