$9 million plan unveiled for Williams River 2hd.com.au - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from 2hd.com.au Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Plans to build a desalination plant at Belmont have been approved by the New South Wales Government, to help shore-up water security for the Lower Hunter.
The plant is designed to produce up to 30 million litres of drinking water per day, in response to drought.
The system involves piping seawater from a kilometre offshore to the plant, which will be built adjacent to the Belmont Wastewater Treatment Works on Ocean Park Road.
Hunter Water Managing Director Darren Cleary says desalination is one of only a few water supply options that is independent of rainfall.
He says it will help the state-owned corporation provide adequate drinking water regardless of changes in weather or climate.
Hunter Valley solar boom continues with latest installation
The push to transition away from fossil fuels is surging in Newcastle and the Hunter Valley, with water operations to be powered by the sun.
Hunter Water has rolled out the first three stages of its overall plan to be entirely solar-powered. The first stage saw Hunter Water facilities become solar-powered thanks to a New South Wales’ Berejiklian government investment of $15 million.
The next cab off the rank was the 99.7kW (252 solar panel) system fully commissioned at Branxton Wastewater Treatment Works. Finally, 1200 solar panels were installed at Morpeth Wastewater Treatment Works for a massive 600kW system.