Wrangle on plant despite tender call

Jessica Benton
BARWON Water and Shell are wrangling over their share of a $60 million bill to build Geelong’s northern sewage farm despite authorities calling for expressions of interest to build the project this week.
Neither organisation could confirm yesterday how much they would contribute for the project to wean Shell’s Corio oil refinery off the region’s drinking water supply.
Barwon Water announced earlier in the week that it had called for expressions of interest for the plant’s design and construction.
A spokesperson for Barwon Water said the organisation and Shell were finalising financial arrangements for the proposed Northern Water Plant.
The spokesperson said calling for tenders before reaching an agreement on funding shares was not “premature”.
“Calling expressions of interest is the first major milestone and indicates Barwon Water and Shell are strongly committed to the plant’s construction and completion,” the spokesperson said.
“With the project still in the development phase, the financial contributions of Barwon Water and Shell are not yet fully determined.”
The spokesperson expected construction of the plant to be complete in October, 2011, with the plant to start operating in March, 2012.
Member for Corio Richard Marles said Federal Government would contribute $20 million to the $90 million project. State Government would put in $9.2 million.
The treatment plant will recycle trade and household waste on vacant industrial land adjacent to the refinery. Community facilities and sporting fields could also have access to the plant’s recycled water.
Barwon Water expects the project to reduce discharges to the ocean from the region’s main treatment plant at Black Rock by 10 per cent a year.