Rio Tinto, Western Australia to complete desalination plant
Key Highlights
- Rio Tinto and the Western Australian Government will complete the Dampier Seawater Desalination Plant.
- The plant will deliver 8 GL/yr of desalinated water to the West Pilbara Water Supply Scheme in 2027.
Rio Tinto and the Western Australian Government have entered into a 50:50 joint venture to complete both Stage 1 and Stage 2 of the Dampier Seawater Desalination Plant.
The A$1.1 billion plant will be operated by Rio Tinto and will considerably reduce groundwater take and help protect sites of environmental and cultural importance.
Once fully operational, the plant will deliver 8 gigaliters per year (GL/yr) of desalinated water to the West Pilbara Water Supply Scheme, reducing pressure on regional aquifers.
The supply scheme is operated by Water Corporation and supplies the towns of Karratha, Wickham, Dampier, Roebourne, Point Samson, and the industrial areas of Cape Lambert and the Burrup Peninsula.
Construction of Stage 1 is underway and is expected to begin delivering 4 GL/yr of annual desalination capacity later this year. Stage 2 construction, which will add a further 4 GL/yr, has started and first water is expected in 2027. Together, Stages 1 and 2 will significantly reduce abstraction from the Bungaroo and Millstream aquifers.
The joint venture builds on a 2025 Memorandum of Understanding, under which the WA Government and Rio Tinto agreed to work together to strengthen water security in the Pilbara.
Over the past 5 years, West Pilbara has frequently experienced annual rainfall and streamflow below the long-term average. This has reduced important groundwater recharge at the Millstream and Bungaroo aquifers, which supply the West Pilbara Water Supply Scheme.