SA Water’s COVID-19 wastewater monitoring program has begun working with several interstate health agencies to undertake testing, and will be sharing the program with numerous countries throughout Southeast Asia. SA Water’s scientists are supporting authorities in Cambodia, Thailand and Vietnam to bolster their defences against the pandemic’s sustained presence. The scientists are providing technical guidance on sampling and analytical techniques, [...]
Emerging from the other side of the pandemic, power industry projects will be under pressure to deliver profits. Increased competition, along with demands for complex services, will further reduce the margin for error. Developing the ability to adapt in the face of uncertainty will be crucial to remaining competitive in this new landscape. Despite putting 2020 behind us, the power [...]
2020 has been a year of challenges and change, particularly when it comes to workplace health and safety. “Business as usual” simply doesn’t exist anymore and there aren’t many, if any, industries that haven’t been impacted by COVID-19. As such, the way businesses operate is changing immensely and business owners are learning to adapt their business practices. When it comes [...]
Goulburn-Murray Water (GMW) is launching a suite of innovative workplace practices to support mental health in response to COVID-19. As October is Health and Safety Month, GMW is taking the opportunity to improve health and safety within its workplace. The theme this year is Work, Health and Safety through COVID-19. In recognition of GMW’s call to action on workplace mental [...]
The Federal Government’s highly anticipated 2020-21 Budget has been revealed, with water infrastructure, waste management, energy security and emissions reduction highlighted as key priorities. Federal Treasurer, Josh Frydenberg, delivered the budget measures on Tuesday 6 October, in what has been dubbed as one of the most important government packages in 75 years. The Budget includes almost $2.5 billion allocated to [...]
Western Australia is launching a wastewater testing evaluation program to track and monitor for traces of the COVID-19 virus in the state’s sewerage network. The expansion of the Collaboration on Sewage Surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 (ColoSSoS) Project to include Western Australia is an additional measure to complement WA's COVID-19 preparedness, as wastewater testing may provide an early warning of COVID-19 prevalence [...]
Sewage surveillance initiatives are being expanded in Victoria and South Australia to help with early detection of new COVID-19 outbreaks, particularly in communities with no known cases. Recent testing of sewage samples collected in Apollo Bay has shown viral fragments of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Coronavirus. The virus was detected in wastewater on Friday 4 September from a sample [...]
Water service upgrades worth $38.9 million will be fast-tracked for Western Australia’s remote and town-based Aboriginal communities as part of the state’s $5.5 billion COVID-19 Recovery Plan. Western Australian Water Minister, Dave Kelly, announced the funding to upgrade and normalise water and wastewater facilities in Aboriginal communities around the state. "It is great news that the McGowan Government is bringing [...]
Victorian households and small businesses impacted by COVID-19 will have access to more support regarding their energy bills with the extension of the Network Relief Package. Energy providers AusNet Services, CitiPower, Jemena, Powercor and United Energy agreed to the extension, which means eligible Victorian customers will continue to have electricity network charges deferred for a further six months from 1 [...]
Millions of litres of expired beer from South Australian pubs and restaurants closed due to COVID-19 have been repurposed and converted in electricity at SA Water’s Glenelg Wastewater Treatment Plant. While the hospitality industry was shut down at the height of COVID-19 restriction, the expired beer was used to boost renewable energy generation to 654MW hours in a single month. [...]
Western Australia has released its Recovery Plan in conjunction with a $66.3 million investment in renewable energy technologies to boost the state’s economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. Horizon Power’s Chief Executive Officer, Stephanie Unwin, said the State Government’s announcement would deliver a significant program of energy infrastructure projects, with $44.5 million being allocated to projects which are to be [...]
The last few months have seen significant changes in the way we live, work and communicate due to COVID-19. Routines have been disrupted and for many companies, business as usual has disappeared. While some of the country is starting to experience an easing of restrictions, cities such as Melbourne are still facing strict lockdowns. At the beginning of the COVID-19 [...]
Two South Australian utilities are working together throughout the pandemic to ensure their renewable energy project remains on schedule. SA Water and ElectraNet, two of the state’s largest power and water providers, are working on a project to realise SA Water’s Zero Cost Energy Future program. As part of SA Water’s green energy project, involving the installation of more than [...]
Eleven new trainees have begun careers in the water industry as part of Seqwater’s traineeship program, creating employment opportunities amidst the pandemic. With COVID-19 forcing employees and businesses to adapt the way they operate, Seqwater has changed the delivery of its traineeship program, enabling it to continue to foster the next generation of water industry professionals. Over the past few [...]
CSIRO’s Board of Directors have reappointed the agency’s current Chief Executive for another three years. Dr Larry Marshall, who joined CSIRO in 2015, will continue in his role. David Thodey AO, Chair of the CSIRO Board, commended Dr Marshall's achievements to date. "CSIRO plays an important and unique role in the lives of all Australians as the national science agency,” [...]
The Federal Court has dismissed an appeal in legal proceedings against Kimberly-Clark, ruling that the company did not mislead customers about its wipes being flushable. The Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC) alleged that by Kimberly-Clark labelling its Kleenex Cottonelle toilet wipes products as ‘flushable’, consumers would believe the Kleenex wipes products had similar characteristics to toilet paper and would [...]
The Federal Government has announced that the Marinus Link is one of several priority projects to be fast-tracked under the JobMaker plan. Marinus Link, a second interconnector between Tasmania and the mainland, would unlock Tasmania’s renewable energy potential. In a speech to the National Press Club, Prime Minister, Scott Morrison, cited that fast-tracking the project would assist Australia’s recovery from [...]
The Murputja Desalination Plant is supplying a third Indigenous community in South Australia’s Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (APY) Lands with safe drinking water. With Kanpi connecting to the local supply network, its community can now receive clean potable water. The solar and battery-powered 60kL capacity Murputja Desalination Plant treats water sourced from local bores, before it is piped through a total [...]
SA Water has credited ongoing support from its supply chain partners with its ability to maintain water and wastewater essential services during the COVID-19 pandemic. The proactive and comprehensive management approach, which included risk assessments of critical suppliers and bulk advance procurement, secured the utility’s supply chain in the early stages of the pandemic. SA Water Senior Manager Supply Chain, [...]
Renewable energy, including the Battery of the Nation and Marinus Link, will form a key part of the Tasmanian Government’s plan to rebuild the state’s economy after the COVID-19 pandemic. The draft Renewable Energy Action Plan lays out the Tasmanian Government’s strategy to leverage renewables’ potential as a measure for economic recovery, driving growth, attracting investment and creating jobs for [...]
In a major coup for Australia’s renewables sector, construction will begin on the nation’s biggest solar farm near Chinchilla in Queensland’s Western Downs. Publicly-owned renewable generator CleanCo provided certainty to the solar farm being built. Queensland Premier, Annastacia Palaszczuk, said the new farm would create up to 400 jobs and 400MW of renewable energy, enough to power about 235,000 Queensland [...]
Central Highlands Water (CHW) and Goulburn Valley Water (GVW) have joined a nation-wide research project to test wastewater networks for traces of the virus that causes COVID-19. The ColoSSoS Project (Collaboration on Sewage Surveillance of SARS COV2) project will test, track and monitor the presence of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, in order to better understand how it spreads. [...]
Ausgrid has launched a new social media campaign to request the public’s support for its staff during the COVID-19 pandemic. Ausgrid said the campaign was launched after its crews had been abused almost daily in past weeks for continuing to carry out critical work during the pandemic. Ausgrid has created a short film to kick-off the ‘Give us a Wave’ [...]
The CEO of WaterNSW, David Harris, has announced his resignation after six years at the company. Andrew George has been appointed as Acting CEO. Mr Harris will assist in the transition process. From 2014, Mr Harris was CEO of both State Water Corporation and Sydney Catchment Authority, and instrumental in the creation of WaterNSW in 2015 after the successful merger [...]
Sydney Water’s frontline staff have been taking advantage of the COVID-19 lockdown period to deliver repair and upgrade projects. Frontline crews have worked successfully throughout the past year responding to the impact of drought. Prolonged dry spells caused soil movement, which led to a contraction of pipes in the ground and an increase in damage to the network. The recent [...]
Hydro Tasmania has released new research detailing how the Battery of the Nation project could play a crucial role in Tasmania's economic recovery from Coronavirus. Alongside the new research, on-the-ground pumped hydro work suggests that the project may form part of the state’s short and long-term recovery solutions. Hydro Tasmania Chief Executive Officer, Steve Davy, said that the business remained [...]
Western Power has awarded two major contracts for delivery of a range of digital services, with a combined value of $61 million over an initial five-year term. Empired Limited has secured the infrastructure managed services and IT supply contracts, which will last for up to seven years. The infrastructure managed services contract has an estimated value of $31 million over [...]
Hunter Water is providing a better online experience for its customers with the launch of its new website. The new website comes at a time when Hunter Water’s customers need improved online services and access to information. “In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we recently decided to close our face-to-face customer service counters at Newcastle, Lake Macquarie and Maitland to [...]
Melbourne Water will spearhead a new project that aims to identify clusters of people infected with the Coronavirus by sampling sewage. The innovative project is designed to equip policy makers and health authorities with crucial data about communities affected with the virus, as well as timelines of potential outbreaks. The sample analysis will help inform COVID-19 controls by indicating disease [...]
NSW electricity network Endeavour Energy has welcomed a new Chief Executive Officer, an energy leader with extensive international experience. Guy Chalkley has stepped up to the position, following his appointment as a board member in December 2019. He will take the reins from Interim CEO, Leanne Pickering. Mr Chalkley is joining Endeavour Energy after four years as CEO of Western [...]
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