The Sydney Desal Blog

Fact versus Fiction: Unpacking the truth about the Sydney Desalination Plant

Sydney Desalination Plant is designed as a safeguard to ensure Sydney has a resilient water supply. Yet, for all its strategic importance, the Plant is often misunderstood.

We've spoken with Matt Blaikie, General Manager Business Optimisation, from the Sydney Desalination Plant to get the real story and dismantle any misconceptions about the Plant.

24 February 2026

Spotlight on Rumbidzai Shamhu: Engineering as the technical backbone of Sydney Desalination Plant

To mark the International Day of Women & Girls in Science 2026 we sat down with one of SDP's engineers Rumbidzai Shamhu. Reflecting the theme of combining AI, social science, STEM and finance, she argues inclusive, high-performing infrastructure depends on systems thinking, risk awareness, and long-term investment decisions.

11 February 2026

Summer Water Security

As temperatures climb and Sydney’s summers become hotter and drier, securing a reliable supply of high quality drinking water has never been more important.

While many people associate the Sydney Desalination Plant with drought emergencies, the Plant is in fact operating quietly in the background all year round, providing a steady, rainfall independent source of drinking water and standing ready to ramp up production when conditions tighten.

To kick off 2026, we sat down with the Sydney Desalination Plant CEO, Phil Narezzi to discuss how the Plant is supporting Sydney’s water security during heatwaves and extended dry spells, when demand is at its highest.

21 January 2026

SDP’s 2025 Year in Review: Resilient, renewable and ready for the future

The Sydney Desalination Plant supported Sydney Water in 2025 as the city’s only significant rainfall independent source of drinking water, delivering approximately 20,000 million litres of high quality drinking water to Sydneysiders. This blog recaps what the Plant achieved this past year, leadership and ownership updates and community partnerships as the year comes to a close.

18 December 2025

Sydney’s climate‑proof water backbone: Inside Sydney Desalination Plant’s ability to expand

As extreme weather events, droughts and floods occur more often and with less predictability, Sydney needs a reliable, climate‑independent drinking water sources that keep homes, jobs and essential services running while giving Sydney Water the flexibility to manage critical maintenance and water quality without disruption to supply, even in the absence of drought.

Sydney Desalination Plant outlines its ability to double its capacity and strengthen Sydney’s resilience to droughts, floods, system issues and water quality challenges.

1 December 2025

Powering reliable water supply: How Sydney Desalination Plant runs on 100% renewable energy

An inside look at how Sydney Desalination Plant is 100% powered by sustainable energy. Our General Manager Strategy and Commercial, Iftekhar Omar speaks to the deliberate, forward-thinking strategy that pairs water security with cleaner operations, offering a glimpse of what it takes to make essential infrastructure both dependable and greener.

20 November 2025

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is the Sydney Desalination Plant operating?
While the Plant was originally designed to operate only in times of drought, it has remained operational since 2019 to help address several storage dam water quality issues arising from bushfires, flooding and significant maintenance tasks in Sydney Water’s supply network.

The Sydney Desalination Plant’s WICA Network Operator’s Licence enables the Plant to remain operational, recognising that the Plant has always been, and will continue to be, an essential component of Sydney’s water management and an integral part of our city’s water-resilient future.
How much water does the Plant produce?
The Plant can provide up to 15 per cent of Sydney’s average drinking water needs without any reliance on rainfall.

It treats, filters and re-mineralises seawater to produce up to 91.25 gigalitres per annum of high-quality drinking water.

Under our WICA Network Operator’s Licence, the Plant will operate on a “flexible full-time basis”, producing between about 20 gigalitres to 91.25 gigalitres every year.
What does desalinated water taste like?
Sydney Desalination Plant water is treated to taste the same as Sydney’s other drinking water.

Like dam water, water from the desalination plant is treated to meet Australian Drinking Water Guidelines, which makes it among the best in the world.
Who owns the Plant?
Sydney Desalination Plant is owned by Utilities Trust of Australia, which is managed by Morrison.

Utilities Trust of Australia is an Australian open-ended core infrastructure fund for institutional investors with a long-term investment horizon.

Find out more on our About Us page.

Why is desalination important?
The Sydney Desalination Plant is Sydney’s only major sources of non-rainfall dependent drinking water. It is one effective way of securing Sydney’s water supply against the effects of climate change and natural disasters and the increase in demand due to population growth, warmer weather and urban greening projects.

While the Plant was originally designed to respond to Australia’s severe millennium drought, recent experiences have demonstrated that drought is only one type of event that requires support from the Plant to ensure clean and safe drinking water for Greater Sydney.

The Plant has been a reliable drinking water supply during floods and bushfires, which caused water quality challenges from time to time in Sydney’s storage dams.
Where does the water go?
The Plant can supply water to homes and businesses south of Sydney Harbour and as far west as Bankstown, as part of all their water supply.

Sydney Water uses a variety of water sources to supply customer needs. Where your water comes from depends on demand and where in Sydney you live.

If you live in the blue-shaded area on this map, you may receive water from the dams, the Sydney Desalination Plant or a combination of both. The Plant's water proportion will change throughout the day due to variations in supply and demand.

Everyone will benefit from desalination because it allows more water to be left in the dams, which means a more secure water supply for Sydney.
How much energy does the Plant use?
The Sydney Desalination Plant requires roughly 38 megawatts at full production and is 100 per cent powered by renewable energy.

The average energy needed to provide drinking water to one household is about the same as the energy used to run a household fridge.
What’s the impact on the environment?
Sydney Desalination Plant places a high priority on minimising any environmental impacts – both on land and in the water.

To support this, the Plant has put in place a world first stringent six-year marine environment monitoring program. The marine environment was monitored for three years before construction and three years after the Plant became operational. It demonstrated that the Plant has minimal effect on the marine environment.

On land, a third of the Plant site at Kurnell has been maintained as a conservation area. This area is protected, and native species of flora and fauna are regularly monitored. This includes a program to survey the numbers of grey-headed flying foxes and green and golden bell frogs in the area.