WA premier backflips on desalination plant amid $543m pipeline upgrade

Western Australian Premier Roger Cook has reversed his stance on a proposed desalination plant at Esperance, conceding that it could be part of plans to secure water supply for inland communities. The $543 million upgrade to the historic Goldfields water pipeline, which supplies drinking water to over 100,000 people across the Wheatbelt and Goldfields, began earlier this month.

The upgrade is expected to increase the pipeline's capacity by about 10 percent by the end of 2027. The Premier acknowledged that engineering designs indicated it would be more cost-effective to enhance the Goldfields pipeline rather than constructing an entirely new pipeline from Esperance. He affirmed the necessity of desalination plants across the state to accommodate a growing economy and a changing climate.

Despite the previous criticism of the WA Nationals for advocating the Esperance desalination proposal during the previous state election, the government now considers it a crucial aspect of securing water security. Other desalination plants, such as the $2.8 billion Alkimos plant near Perth and the $1.1 billion Dampier plant in the Pilbara, are also under construction, along with plans for a plant in Albany.

The Premier pointed out that the Goldfields water demand has surged by 16 percent since 2021, driven by the thriving resources sector. The government plans to award tenders for subsequent works at Binduli Reservoir near Kalgoorlie-Boulder, doubling its capacity from 400 to 800 million litres.