Construction tenders for Tasmania’s Don Irrigation Scheme project, valued at $29 million, are now closed, with the successful tenderer set to be announced soon.
The project includes the laying of 67km of pipeline and construction of three pump stations.
The irrigation scheme is set to deliver water to landowners in North-West Tasmania and future-proof the agriculture sector against drought and climate change.
The high-surety irrigation water will enable farmers around Don to diversify, expand, increase rotations, value add and invest in additional infrastructure.
The project will also assist the Tasmanian Government reach its target of increasing the farm-gate value of the state’s agricultural sector to $10 billion by 2050.
The irrigation scheme is part of the state’s Pipeline to Prosperity project, which is expected to provide more than 78,000ML of water, create up to 2,600 full-time jobs, trigger an additional $150 million in on-farm private investment and inject an estimated $114 million each year into the sector, and economy more broadly.
The Tasmanian Government thanks the Tasmanian Irrigation team for its ongoing hard work to deliver up to 133,000ML of irrigation water to farmers around the state, as well as progressing the first five irrigation projects as part of Tranche Three.
The Tasmanian Government invested more than $30 million in the 2021-22 Tasmanian Budget to deliver irrigation projects, aiming to protect environmental values and river health.
Construction of the Don Irrigation Scheme is expected to conclude and water is forecast to flow in 2023.
