Perth desal plant recognised for infrastructure excellence

At the 2017 National Infrastructure Awards, held last week in Sydney, utility company SUEZ received the Operator & Service Provider Excellence Award for its work with Water Corporation at the Perth Seawater Desalination Plant (PSDP).

In 2005, the WA Government awarded SUEZ the contract to build the plant alongside Multiplex and construction began almost immediately. The plant delivered its first water within 18 months and achieved fully operational status only six months after that.

Once holding the status of the largest seawater reverse osmosis desalination plant in Australia, the plant currently provides around 45 billion litres of safe drinking water per year — around 18% of Perth’s total water supply. SUEZ was recognised at the awards for excellence in the ongoing delivery of service and management of operations of the plant for Water Corporation.

“Our job has been simple — to provide a safe, reliable and cost-effective water service for our client and the residents of Perth,” said David Lamy, CEO – water & treatment solutions at SUEZ. “We’ve been proudly doing that for more than a decade and this award recognises the team’s efforts in striving for operational excellence every single day.”

The award judges noted that the PSDP is one of the most cost-effective desalination plants in Australia and acknowledged the team’s enviable safety record, which surpassed 4000 lost-time-injury-free days this year.

“We look forward to continuing our work with Water Corporation to continue to provide a reliable and cost-effective water supply that households, businesses and farming areas can rely on well into the future,” Lamy added.

Convened by Infrastructure Partnerships Australia, the National Infrastructure Awards celebrate achievements in the delivery of significant infrastructure across Australia and New Zealand. Other award winners were as follows:

• Project of the Year — International Convention Centre Sydney
• Women’s Achievement in Infrastructure Award — An Nguyen, Victorian Department of Treasury and Finance
• Contractor Excellence Award — Burke North McKinnon Centre Level Crossing Removal Project
• SMART Infrastructure Project Award —Webb Dock East International Container Terminal
• Government Partnership Excellence Award — Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre
• Financial Excellence Award — Ausgrid and Port of Melbourne (joint winners)
• Advisory Excellence Award — Social and Affordable Housing Fund and the Outer Suburban Arterial Roads Program (joint winners)