Desal plant not a ‘white elephant’: Business SA
South Australia’s controversial desalination plant should be regarded as a ‘white knight’ rather than a ‘white elephant’ because of the security of water supply it provides for the viticultural and horticultural industries in times of drought, according to Business SA.
Responding to the State Government’s Draft Water Allocation Plan for the River Murray Prescribed Watercourse, Business SA says “considering the desalination plant is being paid for regardless of whether or not it gets used, it makes sense for SA Water to operate the plant even if it has Murray water available to meet critical human water needs”.
“South Australian irrigators make a significant contribution to the economy, including many jobs in regional areas, and if the desalination plant can be used to ensure those jobs are protected, then surely this option is worth being pursued,” Business SA’s submission says.
The State Government is clearly anticipating an animated public debate over who would pay the additional cost of producing desalinated water to avoid reducing irrigators’ allocations in years of low River Murray flows.
“The principles (in the draft plan) propose utilising the Adelaide desalination plant prior to reducing allocations, and temporarily reducing the reliability of environmental water during dry conditions,” the draft plan says.
“It is noted that the principles … may not be supported by all stakeholders, in particular, water users who may need to bear the costs associated with running the desalination plant,” it says.
The Government is seeking feedback on the vexed question of who pays for production of the additional desalinated water.
Options would appear to be domestic and industrial consumers (who feel they are paying already for the desalination plant), irrigators (who would gain a direct financial benefit from security of supply), the State Government (through SA Water absorbing the additional cost of production), or a combination of such stakeholders.
Business SA says “South Australia should be mature enough to reach a consensus decision on utilising the desalination plant to optimise benefits for the South Australian economy. This is particularly important when considering the long term agronomic implications of reducing water to permanent plantings such as grapes, citrus and almonds”.
Stay informed, daily
“The desalination plant is already operational and instead of considering it as a ‘white elephant’, we should view it as a ‘white knight’. ‘Premium Food and Wine from our Clean Environment’ is one of the State Government’s seven strategic priorities. Now the Government has a real opportunity to put those words into action through using the desalination plant to increase security of water allocations for irrigators and cement the future of irrigated agriculture and associated food and beverage manufacturing.
“Since the drought, the amount of water effectively available for irrigation has been reduced by approximately 25% following significant water purchases by the Federal Government. It is clear that the irrigated agricultural sector has already borne a significant burden from the drought and it is important that the Government take appropriate steps to ensure this key economic sector is not unnecessarily constrained during the next drought.
“The pending exit of Holden is demanding bold and ambitious initiatives to create the jobs of the future and the State Government’s proposal can ensure a key economic growth sector is afforded the best environment for future success.”
Want to see more stories from InDaily SA in your Google search results?
- Click here to set InDaily SA as a preferred source.
- Tick the box next to "InDaily SA". That's it.
