Water Corporation has finished work on Exmouth’s southern borefield in WA which includes the installation of 10 new solar powered bores.
The $2.1 million project will enable 10 additional water supply bores to be brought online to supply the growing popular tourist town and help meet peak demand periods.
The installation of solar panels and the additional bores will increase the capacity of the borefield to produce an additional 500,000 litres of water each day.
Solar power will be used to pump water from the borefield to a five million litre water storage tank, which then supplies water to the Exmouth community.
Minister for Water, Dave Kelly, said the project was a great example of how renewable energy can be used to reduce the operating costs of supplying water to the town.
“The solar panels will generate around 144,000 kilowatt hours annually, which is the equivalent energy to power 25 average households for a year,” Mr Kelly said.
“This is an example of the Water Corporation’s work to reduce its environmental footprint while continuing to maintain a sustainable and secure water supply for the Exmouth community.”
Construction on this project started in June 2016 and was completed at the end of September 2017.
Perth-based company, EMC Solar Construction completed the work for the Water Corporation, with about 15 Western Australian workers on site throughout the project, including local subcontractors.
Water Corporation supplies drinking water to about 1,700 residents and businesses in Exmouth, with the town’s population increasing during peak tourist periods.
