Desalination in Western Australia - an Overview

Desalination has simply been too expensive. But rising costs of developing our remaining water resources, coupled with growing demand for water supplies of varying quality for domestic and industrial purposes, particularly in remote areas, are making us look more closely at the rapidly developing desalination technologies, The Water Corporation's increasing involvement in desalination initiatives has led to a greater understanding of desalination technology as a water supply option for both industrial and municipal purposes. This paper provides a brief insight into the status of desalination in Western Australia, in particular desalination from a Water Corporation perspective. The paper outlines existing and potential projects, summarises desalination processes, investigates energy requirements and costs associated with desalination. Environmental considerations relating to desalination are also addressed and conclusions are drawn.