Veolia, the company chosen to deliver Springvale Mine’s Water Treatment Facility, has announced that construction of the plant will begin “immediately”.
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The French transnational waste management company said it had been chosen by Springvale Joint Venture and Energy Australia to build the plant. Veolia will also build, own and operate the project, with funding assistance from Infrastructure Capital Group.
A media release distributed by the company said the plant was expected to deliver Veolia $400 million in revenue over 17 years as well as “a number” of local jobs.
“Veolia’s expertise in water treatment as well as our strong presence in mining and infrastructure has given both the Springvale Joint Venture and EnergyAustralia the confidence to award this 15-year water infrastructure contract to Veolia, which is so important to NSW’s power supply and provides an environmental outcome that will guarantee the mine’s future,” said Doug Dean, managing director of Veolia Australia and New Zealand.
“This contract confirms the added-value solutions and expertise that our group provides to its energy and mining clients, so that their processes can comply with industry and regulatory standards and can improve the efficiency of their operations.”
The water treatment facility and a 16 kilometre pipeline between the mine and Mt Piper Power Station will allow waste water from the mine to be treated at the station and reused in the station’s cooling system, eliminating the need for the mine to release water into Coxs River.
The project was an important element of debate around whether Springvale Mine could legally operate while depositing treated waste water into the river, which feeds Sydney’s water catchment.
The NSW opposition leader Luke Foley implored Centennial Coal and EnergyAustralia to “move heaven and earth” to build the plant quickly at a meeting outside the mine in October.
Before legislation was announced legalising the mine’s approval on October 11, representatives of Centennial Coal said the court challenge to the mine’s consent was “making it difficult to finalise commercial and financial arrangements” for the water treatment facility.
Veolia said the facility will be complete by mid 2019, no earlier than Centennial Coal’s previous estimates of the facility’s completion date.
The water treatment facility was approved by the Planning Assessment Commission in June of this year. It will allow Springvale Mine to meet water quality conditions outlined in 2015 extension approval.