Tugun desal plant can 'service large population' ...

ABC News:

Tugun desal plant can 'service large population'

26 June 2009

The company responsible for transferring water around south-east Queensland says the Gold Coast desalination plant will be used even if Hinze Dam is full.

The chief executive officer of Water Grid Manager, Barry Dennien, says once fully operational the Tugun plant can operate at either 33, 66 and 100 per cent capacity.

He says there is a large network linking the Gold Coast to Brisbane and surrounding regions.

"Even in the case of Hinze Dam ... [being] full we would most likely take some water still to the central region if the dams of the central region aren't of the same level as the dams on the coastal areas," he said.

He says when fully operational the Tugun plant will be able to service a large population.

"We've got flexibility to run it at zero, 33, 66 or 100 per cent. So having that flexibility gives us options and we'll make those decisions at the time when we are able to make those calls on what percentage we want to dial up on that plant," he said.

See - ABC News - Tugun desal plant can 'service large population'.