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Shire of Roebourne LPS – Technical report 5 Civil engineering services capacity

SM Shire of Roebourne

Civil engineering services

Draft 2 P85029

Disclaimer: If you are a party other than the Shire of Roebourne, MacroPlan Dimasi: owes you no duty (whether in contract or in tort or under statute or otherwise) with respect to or in connection with the attached report or any part thereof; and will have no liability to you for any loss or damage suffered or costs incurred by you or any other person arising out of or in connection with the provision to you of the attached report or any part thereof, however the loss or damage is caused, including, but not limited to, as a result of negligence. If you are a party other than the Shire of Roebourne and you choose to rely upon the attached report or any part thereof, you do so entirely at your own risk. The responsibility for determining the adequacy or otherwise of our terms of reference is that of the Shire of Roebourne. The findings and recommendations in this report are given in good faith but, in the preparation of this report, we have relied upon and assumed, without independent verification, the accuracy, reliability and completeness of the information made available to us in the course of our work, and have not sought to establish the reliability of the information by reference to other evidence. Any findings or recommendations contained within this report are based upon our reasonable professional judgement, based on the information which is available from the sources indicated. Should the project elements, external factors and assumptions change, then the findings and recommendations contained in this report may no longer be appropriate. Accordingly, we do not confirm, underwrite or guarantee that the outcomes referred to in this report will be achieved.

Shire of Roebourne Local Planning Strategy Technical Report 5: Civil engineering services capacity

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Executive summary This report identifies the key challenges and issues around water, waste water, electricity, telecommunications and solid waste. Note that it does not address community infrastructure which is covered in Technical Report 4: Community Facilities Plan and Matrix. Nor does it address transport infrastructure which will be covered separately as part of a preliminary district transport strategy. It contains the following assessment:

Introduction – providing an overview of the context and factors affecting infrastructure planning, investment and delivery in the Shire of Roebourne;

Water – covering the sources, demand and supply options for the West Pilbara Water Supply Scheme;

Wastewater – describing the various wastewater systems in the Shire with particular focus on the Karratha system which was constraining growth;

Electricity – covering the projected demand and supply growth as well as issues relating to the North West Interconnected System;

Solid waste – addresses the issues and options with solid waste management; and

Telecommunications – the existing and future telecommunications system, including opportunities from the National Broadband Network.

The key findings of this report are:

While there have been a number of critical infrastructure constraints that have delayed development, these either have been our are currently being addressed through significant capital investment to upgrade services;

The projected demand growth, particularly for water and electricity in the region will require an ongoing investment program to ensure capacity is matched to growth;

Reliable population and demand growth scenarios are essential to the forward planning and investment in infrastructure;

Encouraging the private sector to invest in infrastructure or to provide more open access to existing infrastructure will help to spread the investment cost and reduce the potential for duplication and redundancy;

Reuse solutions such as the Karratha Treated Waste Water System will help to reduce the consumption of scheme water, while also providing for the ‘greening’ of the urban environment; and

Telecommunications improvements in the Shire of Roebourne include enhancement of the mobile voice and data networks as well as the National Broadband Network.


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Contents

1 Introduction ............................................................................................................................ 7 1.1 Overview .................................................................................................................................. 7 1.2 Background .............................................................................................................................. 7

1.3 Growth assumptions ................................................................................................................ 8 1.4 Investment ................................................................................................................................ 9 1.5 Strategic asset management framework ................................................................................ 10 1.6 Acronyms and abbreviations .................................................................................................. 10

1.7 Structure of this report ............................................................................................................ 11

2 Water – Existing and future ................................................................................................. 12 2.1 Existing supply and demand .................................................................................................. 12 2.2 Future demand ....................................................................................................................... 15

2.3 Water supply projects ............................................................................................................. 15 2.4 Outcomes ............................................................................................................................... 16

3 Waste-water – Existing and future ...................................................................................... 19 3.1 Overview ................................................................................................................................ 19

3.2 Infrastructure .......................................................................................................................... 19 3.3 Future requirements and planning ......................................................................................... 20 3.4 Outcomes ............................................................................................................................... 20

4 Electricity – Existing and future .......................................................................................... 22 4.1 Understanding the power network .......................................................................................... 22

4.2 Supply and demand ............................................................................................................... 24 4.3 Future demand and infrastructure .......................................................................................... 26 4.4 Alternative forms of power generation .................................................................................... 28

4.5 Outcomes ............................................................................................................................... 29

5 Solid waste – Existing and future ....................................................................................... 31 5.1 Overview ................................................................................................................................ 31

5.2 Future requirements and planning ......................................................................................... 31

6 Telecommunications............................................................................................................ 33 6.1 Infrastructure .......................................................................................................................... 33 6.2 Mobile networks ..................................................................................................................... 34 6.3 Future requirements and planning ......................................................................................... 36

7 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................ 38


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Figures Figure 1: Water supply schemes in the Pilbara ................................................................................. 12 Figure 2: Total scheme draw1 - West Pilbara Water Supply Scheme ............................................... 13

Figure 3: Power generation and distributions systems ...................................................................... 22 Figure 4: Power supplied and demand – Pilbara (assuming no private sector investment) .............. 24 Figure 5: Indicative power supply demand forecasts – NWIS peak summer load trends .................. 26 Figure 6: Estimated power capital expenditure ................................................................................. 27 Figure 7: Broadband telecommunications by speed/technology ....................................................... 33 Figure 8: Telstra voice (NextG) network coverage ............................................................................ 34

Figure 9: Telstra mobile data network – device only coverage ......................................................... 35 Figure 10: Telstra mobile data network (NextG and 4G) – device plus antenna coverage .................. 35

Figure 11: Optus mobile coverage in the Pilbara (3G dual band – brown, 3G single band – green) ... 36 Tables Table 1: Total scheme draw - West Pilbara Water Supply Scheme ................................................. 14 Table 2: Water challenges and opportunities for the Shire of Roebourne ........................................ 17

Table 3: Waste water challenges and opportunities ........................................................................ 20 Table 4: Current supply and projected demand (as of 2012 to Horizon Power customers) ............. 23

Table 5: Potential supply options from 2012 to 2022 ....................................................................... 23 Table 6: Alternative forms of power generation: .............................................................................. 28 Table 7: Challenges and opportunities for electricity in the Shire of Roebourne .............................. 29

Table 8: Challenges and opportunities for telecommunications in the Shire of Roebourne ............. 31 Table 9: Challenges and issues for telecommunications in the Shire of Roebourne ....................... 37 Table 10: Summary of infrastructure capacity for by settlement, Shire of Roebourne ....................... 38


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1 Introduction

1.1 Overview This Technical Report 5: Civil engineering services capacity brings together the current priorities and longer term issues related to utility infrastructure for the Shire of Roebourne. It provides a high-level assessment of the issues with the current infrastructure capacity and a range of responses to help improve the planning and delivery of upgraded and new utility infrastructure to serve the needs of the Shire’s major settlements. The report uses information from a range of published and unpublished sources to provide a context for the Shire of Roebourne’s Local Planning Strategy. The scope for the five technical reports was identified through an Information Gap Analysis prepared by Mike Allen Planning in June 2012. This means that the Technical Reports do not comprehensively address all of the issues that will affect the Shire’s future; instead they are designed to complement the wide body of research and planning that has already been undertaken. This report does not aim to replace the detailed utility infrastructure assessments that will be required as part of the local structure planning for individual settlements. Instead it aims to bridge the gap between the higher-level regional infrastructure planning that is taking place across the Pilbara and for the Pilbara Cities of the North delivery programme and the lower-level and more detailed local planning processes. Even though the Pilbara Cities mandate focuses around Karratha (and Port Hedland), many of the projects and priorities will help to provide for regional needs, particularly as related to utility infrastructure headworks. The following strategies have been identified by the Pilbara Cities office as requirements to achieve the State Government’s vision for modern regional centres that can further develop Karratha and Port Hedland1:

support for affordable access to land and housing including increased investment by both government and private sector developers and large scale land releases;

access to infrastructure including improvements and upgrades to energy, water and waste management services;

investment in community services and related infrastructure including schools and TAFEs; hospitals and medical centres; leisure and entertainment facilities; community facilities and shopping and retail precincts; and

facilitation of economic diversification that can widen Pilbara employment options, support greater economic sustainability and support indigenous employment and enterprise opportunities.

1.2 Background Future critical infrastructure for the Pilbara is a prerequisite to meeting growing demand for the principal land uses of housing and industrial purposes. With a trending increase in population there will be a


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substantial requirement for support services, such as health and education facilities.2 Against this scenario, the following report will assess the capacity of existing and future utilities and identify the immediate and long term priorities for the Shire of Roebourne.

1.3 Growth assumptions Note that population projections for the Shire of Roebourne are discussed in detail in Technical Report 3: Population and Demographic Analysis. This section provides a discussion around the drivers relevant to utility infrastructure demand related to population growth. Current population projections for the towns of the Pilbara rely heavily on are information from resource companies regarding project sizing, timing and factors such as FIFO ratio to estimate both service and resident forecasts. Given that some of this information is considered commercially sensitive as companies are often competing for workforce resources if not for customers, then the accuracy of these estimates can be uncertain. In addition, resource sector investment depends on reliable forecasts on global market demand and supply, which has been particularly difficult to estimate since the GFC. The State Government estimates that Karratha has approximately 19,000 residents and an additional service population of 8,000. There are slight discrepancies in projected resident populations amongst different sources, including the Department of Planning (DoP), Australia Bureau of Statistics (ABS), Shire of Roebourne and the Pilbara Industry Community Council (PICC). The State Government has reservations that the PICC projections may not be sufficiently resolved to determine a quantitative and spatial allocation, making this data source less reliable as a basis for making major infrastructure investment decisions. The Department of Planning forecasts the State’s resident population for the WAPC as part of its role as the State’s demographer. These forecasts are based on assumptions about fertility, mortality and migration. As much as possible, these projections also take into account the projects and investment that are known or planned at the time the projections are prepared. Population projections are often represented as average annual growth rates, however, population and employment growth in the Pilbara tends not to occur at a steady annual rate, but rather as step changes in response to other factors such as resource project construction cycles. The WAPC projections focus on resident rather than service population meaning that the significant population pressures caused by fly-in-fly-out (FIFO) and short-term contract workers are not taken into account. The additional service population fluctuates broadly although it is estimated to be up to 25 per cent to the resident population, particularly with the level of new construction in resource and infrastructure projects. The impact of these extra people is not uniform as those living in remote areas will exert different pressures to those in regional towns. Population projections vary considerably between the different sources due not only to different methodologies, but mainly relate to some projections measuring usual residents (ie. people who live in the Shire of Roebourne who live in the area for more than 6 months of the year) and projections that aim to measure only a part of the population (such as the PICC projections) and estimates that attempt to measure both the resident and the service population.


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The State Government’s Pilbara Cities vision encourages Karratha to achieve a population of 50,000 by 2035. To achieve this target, it would need to sustain an average population growth of approximately four to five per cent annually over the next 25 years. The implications for utility infrastructure are also varied depending on the level of ‘self-containment’ of work camps and temporary worker accommodation (TWA) in particular. The closer those facilities are to a major settlement, the more likely they are to have an impact on the existing utility networks.

1.4 Investment The key utility infrastructure challenge is not the planning, but the funding and delivery of upgraded and new infrastructure. At times there have been large disparities in the quantum and/or timing of private versus public infrastructure investment in the region. The State Government has acknowledged it needs new approaches will be required to finance the growth of the Pilbara Cities and infrastructure. Related to this is the investment that will support sectors of the economy other than solely the resource sector and the Pilbara Cities Economic Diversification Framework has a funding allocation of $30 million to support projects that will deliver economic diversification and new business opportunities. One example is a $16.5 million Royalties for Regions allocation to pilot projects to support agriculture in the Pilbara utilising mine dewatering and other water resources. Infrastructure headworks require investment in large amounts, particularly power and water. There is a particularly large disparity between the public and private investment and network capacity, however, due to physical distances involved and the strategic decision by some organisations, it is not easy to develop common use networks, such as an interconnected electricity grid. Until recently, significant State investment has not been required given the majority of power has been supplied by the private sector and large seawater desalination plants have not been funded or constructed. Incremental upgrades have been sufficient and there has little need to upgrade the publicly owned headworks. Funding options for utility infrastructure in the future may include:

increased State Government funding, including continued Royalties for Regions funding beyond 2013;

collaborative funding by the State Government and Commonwealth (through Infrastructure Australia) to facilitate investment in the Pilbara through public-private partnership (PPP) funding;

Commonwealth Government investment including: Defence Posture Review, National Broadband Network and Infrastructure Australia; and/or

renewable energy opportunities in the Pilbara – the Australian Centre for Renewable Energy and the Commonwealth’s Department of Resources, Energy & Tourism have been examining opportunities for solar development in the Pilbara that could support Federal investment.


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1.5 Strategic asset management framework The Western Australian Department of Treasury uses a Strategic Asset Management Framework (SAMF) to establish the policies and guidelines for asset investment planning and management across the State public sector. The SAMF facilitates a broader view of assets across the various portfolios through sharing advice and decision-making within agencies. The SAMF identifies strategic asset planning cycles in the context of the State budget and focuses on the critical decisions, including whether an investment proposal has strategic justification; and whether a business case provides the basis for a sound investment decision. In the context of the Pilbara, significant investment decisions by the State Government are required to provide critical infrastructure. Pilbara Cities provides an important role in coordinating and prioritising the strategic investment across the different infrastructure utilities.

1.6 Acronyms and abbreviations ABS Australian Bureau of Statistics ACRE Australian Centre for Renewable Energy AHD Australian Height Datum BHPB BHP Billiton BOO Build own operate DoP Department of Planning EPWSS East Pilbara Water Supply Scheme FIFO Fly-in, fly-out GFC Global financial crisis GL Giga litres (109 or one billion litres) kL Kilo litres (103 or one thousand litres) kV Kilo volts (103 or one thousand volts) kW Kilo watts (103 or one thousand watts) m million NWIS North West Interconnected System MW Mega watt (106 or one million watts) PICC Pilbara Industry Community Council PPA Purchase power agreement PPP Public–private partnership RDA Regional Development Australia RTIO Rio Tinto Iron Ore SIA Strategic industrial area TAFE Technical and Further Education TWA Temporary worker accommodation TWW Treated waste water WAPC Western Australian Planning Commission WPWSS West Pilbara Water Supply Scheme WWTP Waste water treatment plant


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1.7 Structure of this report This report contains the following sections:

1. Introduction – providing an overview of the context and factors affecting infrastructure planning, investment and delivery in the Shire of Roebourne. It discusses the context regarding infrastructure funding and coordination across State Government agencies. This section also defines the acronyms and then describes the structure of this report;

2. Water – existing and future – discusses the existing water sources and West Pilbara Water Supply Scheme (WPWSS). It covers the anticipated demand growth as well as the current planning as to how best to expand the capacity of the existing system. As the existing sources of water for the Shire of Roebourne are climate-dependent, it addresses some of the weaknesses in providing a sustainable water supply for the Shire and opportunities to help diversify and secure long term water resources;

3. Waste water – addressing the waste water systems in each settlement with particular emphasis on the Karratha which is the only system that has been constraining growth;

4. Electricity – the combination of private and public power assets on the North West Interconnected System provides a number of challenges to ensure that power generation capacity is able to keep up with the very high demand growth;

5. Solid waste – the management of solid waste in the Shire is a significant issue due to the volumes of waste produced in the area as well as the nature of industrial waste which requires a Class IV facility; and

6. Telecommunications – brief section on the current telecommunications networks and the rollout of the National Broadband Network.


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2 Water – Existing and future

2.1 Existing supply and demand The Shire of Roebourne relies on the climate-dependent West Pilbara Water Supply Scheme (WPWSS) which covers Karratha, Dampier, Roebourne, Wickham, Point Samson, Cape Lambert and the Burrup Peninsula (Figure 1).

Figure 1: Water supply schemes in the Pilbara

Source: Department of Water, Pilbara Regional Water Plan 2010–2030

The Water Corporation advised in June 2010 that the West Pilbara Water Supply Scheme was under extreme pressure to supply sufficient water to the towns and industry. Demands were being met at the time, but with a high level of risk to supply security. The history of rainfall in the area shows that three to five years can pass before the system is recharged. In 2010/11, the supply of water was reaching a critical point, with annual demand reaching 12GL against a 10GL/yr sustainable supply capacity and a 15GL per year maximum capacity. Above-average heavy rainfall in the Pilbara in 2011 and a consequential decrease in water demand, meant that water sources were sufficiently replenished and sufficient to meet immediate demands. Since then, demand has increased to near maximum supply capacity and need investment to increase capacity.


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In September 2011, the State Government secured an agreement with Rio Tinto to surrender its annual entitlement of water from the Millstream aquifer to develop its own alternative water supply from the Bungaroo Valley. The Millstream aquifer is capable of providing 10,000 million litres of water per year to the West Pilbara water supply scheme. The Scheme’s supply is sourced currently from two sources that are entirely climate-dependent:

Harding River Dam (surface water) – primary source. Located 23 kilometres south-east of Roebourne and was formed by the construction of two embankments. Originally the dam could only be used for six to eight months of the year because high turbidity caused quality problems. These were solved in 2004 by the installation of a $31.5 m micro-filtration water treatment plant that enabled the dam to be used all year round - providing that it held sufficient water. In 200910, 1343 ML was drawn from the dam; and

Millstream aquifer (groundwater) – secondary source. Located 96 kilometres south of Karratha and has been the town’s secondary source of supply since 2000. In 2009-10 270 ML was drawn from the aquifer but there is now growing concern about its sustainability and the amount of water that can be drawn from the system without effecting Millstream’s ecology. The Department of Water is currently investigating the issue.

Both sources rely on rainfall associated with summer cyclones for recharging. The Water Corporation is licensed to draw up to a total of 15 GL per year from the two sources operating them either together or independently. Actual draw depends on dam storage and aquifer level (Figure 2 and Table 1).

Figure 2: Total scheme draw1 - West Pilbara Water Supply Scheme

Source: Water Corporation

0.0

2.0

4.0

6.0

8.0

10.0

12.0

14.0

An

nu

al d

raw

(G

l / y

r)

Millstream aquifer Harding river dam


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Table 1: Total scheme draw - West Pilbara Water Supply Scheme

Year (ending march) Millstream aquifer (Gl / yr)

Harding river dam (Gl / yr)

Total draw (Gl / yr)

2001-02 9.34 0 9.34

2002-03 9.35 0 9.35

2003-04 9.66 0 9.66

2004-05 3.26 8.0 11.26

2005-06 0.55 9.75 10.30

2006-07 0.57 10.86 11.43

2007-08 0.93 11.89 12.82

2008-09 3.42 9.50 12.92

2009-10 0.27 13.43 13.70

Source: Water Corporation

Recent demand has been put at more than 14GL/yr, and was expected to increase to around 16GL/yr within a few years. At these demand levels, there is little capacity to manage a drought, or extended period of less than average rainfall. Bulk water from the scheme is transferred into service storage tanks in the Karratha Hills via the Harding River main pipeline, which runs underground in a south-easterly direction from Harding Dam to the junction of the North West Coastal Highway and Karratha Road. The 600 mm main is located either in or adjacent to road reserves or vested pipe reserves for the majority of its route. Water supply for Karratha is gravity fed from storage tank no.3. The tank has a storage capacity of 25 ML (water level 65.6 AHD). Chlorination dosing takes place at the outlets of tank no. 3 and LIA tank no. 1. Two 9 ML tanks (water level 65.7 AHD) located on Karratha Road, south of the town centre have previously been decommissioned and are not currently operational. The Water Corporation is currently investigating the recommissioning of these tanks over the short to medium term, to alleviate the current water storage constraints with the existing scheme. West Pilbara also has a non-potable seawater supply scheme and desalination plant capable of supplying water for industrial use. With the projected increase in demand, the WPWSS will meet industry demand and predicted demand from Pilbara growth (residential, commercial and light industrial) until 2018/19. However, a further source may be required earlier if demand from large industry growth is to be met Current projections indicate the need for in excess of $1.5 billion for capital investment in the West Pilbara Water Supply Scheme with almost half of this sum required in the period to 2015. In the longer term, demand in the Shire of Roebourne to as much as 33GL per annum by 2020. As both the surface and ground water resources require regular recharge from rainfall, a new desalination plant of up to 15GL on the Burrup peninsula is promoted as the most reliable short-term solution as it would be independent of climate change. This could be supplemented by water abstraction from the Bungaroo Valley, which will require extensive upgrading and the Water Corporation are negotiating with Rio Tinto Iron Ore for ongoing supply from Bungaroo.


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2.2 Future demand The future scheme water demand is based on the Karratha water distribution areas reaching a serviced population of about 50,000 in 2021 − approximately double the current population. The Department of Water is working with other agencies (including Department of Planning) through the Water Supply Planning Senior Officers Group to develop an agreed set of water demand projections for the WPWSS and EPWSS, across government. Low, medium and high growth scenarios have been developed. It is understood that the Department of Water is planning for scheme water use only and therefore total water demand is not accurately reflected across the Pilbara. It will also be critical to identify and plan for the expected significant increase in water demand for individual land uses and the resource sector for iron ore dust suppression in port areas. Under Pilbara Cities growth projections, demand on the scheme is forecast to rise rapidly above 15 GL a year in the very short term. A recent example of the effect of these demands exceeding the reliable capacity was the limitation on new lot releases. In 2010, the Water Corporation committed to service an additional 1700 equivalent residential services, including Baynton West, Gap Ridge; Nash Stage 1 (120 services - Roebourne) and more than 300 equivalent residential services (registered as vacant lots) across West Pilbara towns. At that time, those developments effectively absorbed all capacity within the scheme, and no new lots could be considered until there was a commitment to develop a major new source. Besides the headworks infrastructure, the existing water distribution and reticulation network may also require significant upgrade in order to achieve the substantial increases in housing density proposed in the Karratha City Growth Plan. A new major water source is required as soon as practicable to avoid constraining domestic growth in the West Pilbara towns. Water source planning has therefore become a critical task. Demand management may also provide some benefits in delaying upgrades and the Water Corporation is also continuing its water efficiency campaign in the West Pilbara to target community behavioural change, retrofitting properties, industrial efficiency and reducing leaks. Although cost will vary dependant on the option that is adopted, the expansion and upgrade are expected to cost in the region of $470 m.

2.3 Water supply projects The Water Corporation is currently working with Rio Tinto to develop and integrate a third water source for the WPWSS, utilising groundwater from the Bungaroo borefield. Under this proposal, Rio Tinto is to build the borefield and transfer system to the WPWSS. Water from this source will be connected at ‘Summit’ tanks located near the proposed Bungaroo pipeline juncture. The distribution network also requires upgrades and the Water Corporation needs to upgrade the WPWSS to accommodate the extra flows and transfer them to demand areas. This has been funded by the Water Corporation to a conservative estimate of $68 million.


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The State Government has endorsed Rio Tinto’s development of the Bungaroo supply project, which will also enable Rio Tinto to provide 10GL/yr to the scheme to supply their coastal operations. Any unused portion may be made available to supply WPWSS demands. Under this arrangement Rio Tinto has surrendered their 5.4 GL/yr entitlement to the Millstream aquifer that was previously included in the State Agreement. The Department of Water is investigating the potential to expand the Bungaroo Bore Field to provide an additional five to 10 GL/yr. The development of the Bungaroo supply is a short-term solution and while it will reduce demand pressure on the WPWSS, it will not ensure future security of supply. The new WPWSS will combine the sources of Bungaroo, Millstream and Harding Dam to provide a reliable supply of 20 GL/yr. Of this it is expected that 2–3 GL/yr will be available in the short-term (to meet non-Rio Tinto demands). Even with this improvement, the Department of Water advises a new source could be required by:

2014-16 under a high demand growth scenario;

2018-19 under a medium demand growth scenario; and

post 2021 under a low demand growth scenario. Note that all three sources are still climate-dependent and that regular recharge of the Millstream aquifer and Harding Dam or improvements in water-use efficiency could push these timeframes further into the future. The Water Corporation has planned for a 6 GL seawater desalination plant on the Burrup Peninsula to supply into the WPWSS. These plans have been deferred given the introduction of Bungaroo Bore Field, which will address short-term water supply. Over the next several years significant commitment of funding to ensure the longer term security of water supply to WPWSS will be required. It should be noted that the CITIC Pacific project at Cape Preston (located 40 kilometres west of Karratha), has built a 51 GL/yr seawater desalination plant to service its magnetite processing operations. The Water Corporation is also investigating the feasibility of a non-potable supply to augment the WPWSS. There are opportunities for this to support new industrial developments such as the proposed Anketell Strategic Industrial Area (SIA) and associated resource projects. Investment in delivery infrastructure for non-potable supply, and the design of industry infrastructure to use potable water could potentially create opportunities for development of new supply sources. A list of current water infrastructure projects is provided in Appendix 1.

2.4 Outcomes If new water supply sources are not investigated it may not be possible to support the anticipated population growth in Karratha beyond 2015–21; and commitments to Pilbara industry at large within the same timeframe. The challenges facing the supply of water in the Shire of Roebourne are described in the following table along with some of the possible responses.


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Table 2: Water challenges and opportunities for the Shire of Roebourne

Issue Response

Challenges Planning for the region’s water infrastructure requirements in 2035 will need to address the following challenges:

catering for the needs of industry and economy as well as population expansion;

development of effective potable water distribution mechanisms;

securing of adequate funding;

changing roles of industry and the private sector in provision of potable water;

emerging impacts of climate change; and

embracing new technologies and opportunities.

Desired outcome The region requires an integrated, efficient and effective water source(s) and distribution network that is responsive to future demands, in order to facilitate economic growth and accommodate population expansion.

Investment Ongoing capital works investment in the region’s water infrastructure, in the medium to long-term, will be required. Some examples include:

utilization of "combined" power and water desalination plant;

"infrastructure led growth" not "growth led infrastructure", it is easier to group population centres versus dictating where industry will locate; and

construction of more traditional water treatment plants.

Alternative strategies Alternative strategies to improve the region’s water infrastructure include:

new coordinated and integrated regional distribution systems – in lieu of disconnected infrastructure built separately by the public sector and private industry;

reduction in potable water demand as a result of water efficient designs and by education and awareness initiatives;

water re-use, provided by a “third pipe”, will decrease the demand for potable water;

develop fit-for-purpose operations (raw water treated enough for dust control or irrigation), but only when source water isn’t feasible for potable water treatment;

import water from the Kimberly;

provide potable water in tanks/bottles only. “Tap” water is not drinkable but suitable for household use; i.e. bathing, washing, etc.; and

utilise demand management - ongoing monitoring of water consumption.

Emerging technologies The technologies for treating potable water all exist today, and simply need to be used:

"combined" power and desalination plant;

water desalination treatment plant – fed by either ground or sea water;

more supply from new bore fields, feeding more traditional water treatment plants;

cheaper delivery systems; and

water re-use distributed by a “third pipe”.

Policy and program requirements

Policy/program options to address water requirements include:

continue efforts to identify resources;

protect potable water resources through legislation;

change the delivery mechanism of industry – make it easier for “public & private” to cooperate. Common practice today is for industry to build its own infrastructure by methods that bypass local government and planning initiatives;

change the delivery mechanism of the public sector – today power is at capacity for the existing population – Power companies provide service based on “risk” - industry is forced to build its own; and

provide coordinated utility corridors.

Approvals Possible ways to streamline approvals in the mid- to long-term to provide better outcomes, include:

make decisions locally in the Pilbara instead of in Perth; and

faster access to resources – very long processes exist today for acquiring land or required permitting.


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Issue Response

Lessons from other areas

Locations where similar strategies for providing energy infrastructure are taking place:

"combined" gas power & desalination plant – these are the most efficient technologies applicable to the Pilbara, and are in use in other parts of Australia and around the globe.


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3 Waste-water – Existing and future

3.1 Overview There are three waste water treatment plants (WWTPs) in Karratha which are currently planned and/or committed for upgrades at a cost of $68 million:

Karratha WWTP No.1 (east area of town) is being upgraded to be the main WWTP in Karratha capable of treating 10 ML/day;

Karratha WWTP No.2 (west area of town) will receive a minor expansion to cope with extra flows (treating 0.9 ML/day); and

Karratha WWTP No.3 is the light industrial area plant (east of town) and will remain at current capacity and separate from plants No.1 and No.2.

In addition to these works, WWTP No.2 needs further upgrading to cope with increased flows at an estimated cost of $30 million. The Water Corporation is investigating opportunities to set up a reuse facility to supply treated wastewater for industrial purposes such as dust suppression and road construction, which would reduce the costs of plant upgrades, as well as reducing the amount of new scheme water required. Karratha WWTP upgrades will allow short-term capacity expansion and facilitate land development releases of Nickol and Madigan Road areas for construction of up to 1,250 lots. The Karratha Treated Waste Water (TWW) System Review 2011–12 is investigating reticulation of public open space for the current townsite and proposed future development. The existing wastewater system is failing (currently delivering 1.8 ML/night of TWW) which is not sufficient for future needs (5.2 ML/night required). A review has been undertaken jointly by the Shire of Roebourne and the Water Corporation with design works completed. Estimated costs indicate $37 m is required to deliver the new system. A joint Cabinet submission was being prepared to secure funding for the project. The other settlements in the Shire of Roebourne have smaller scale facilities for treating wastewater to meets the needs of the local communities.

3.2 Infrastructure Karratha’s residential and commercial areas are fully serviced by deep sewerage, with sewerage from Pegs Creek east treated at a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP No.1) located in the Karratha Hills between Mulataga and the light industrial area. Wastewater is transferred through a gravity sewer reticulation network connecting to wastewater pumping stations, located on Balmoral Road and Searipple Road which is then pumped via pressure main up to the WWTP. Sewerage from the western portion of the town is treated at the Gap Ridge WWTP (WWTP No.2) and expansion options are limited by its location and conflicting land uses in the area. However, given the direction of town site growth and the lack of available alternative sites, there may be a need to expand the site and the odour buffer. Residential density increases proposed as part of the Karratha City Growth Plan and Karratha City Centre Master Plan will also result in increased flows and therefore the requirement for pumping station and pressure main upgrades.


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Wastewater is treated to a secondary standard and is used by the Shire of Roebourne to reticulate ovals in Karratha or is contained within evaporation ponds. The treated wastewater re-use scheme is in need of significant upgrade works. Waste water from treatment plants in Dampier and Wickham is also used on sporting and school ovals. A list of current waste water infrastructure projects is provided in Appendix 2.

3.3 Future requirements and planning The estimated costs to upgrade WWTP No.1 to 8,000 kL/d is approximately $122 m. This includes $51 m for facility upgrade, $40 m to upgrade the waste water conveyance to a capacity of 11,000 kL/d, and $31 m for treated wastewater management. Depending on the magnitude of growth in Karratha, a new wastewater treatment plant may be required in the future.

3.4 Outcomes Current short-term infrastructure priorities for Karratha and Port/South Hedland wastewater are funded and being implemented. This report identifies that support and funding for the Karratha TWW should be considered to enable non-potable water to be used for watering public open space and reduce scheme demand. Table 3: Waste water challenges and opportunities

Issue Response

Challenges Planning for the region’s wastewater infrastructure requirements in 2035 will need to address the following challenges:


provision of effective wastewater collection and distribution systems;

securing adequate funding to provide services;

changing roles of industry and the private sector in collection of waste waters and distribution of re-use waters;

emerging impacts of climate change; and


Desired outcome In 2035, the region’s wastewater loads needs to be minimized at the source and water re-use technologies need to be embraced.

Investment Ongoing capital works investment in the region’s wastewater infrastructure, in the medium to long-term, will be required. Some examples include:

high level treatment of wastewaters producing super clean waters for sale to new high tech industry; and

construction of additional, or upgrades to, wastewater treatment plants, increasing overall treatment capacity.

Improvement strategies Alternative strategies to improve the region’s wastewater infrastructure include:

reduction in wastewater generated as a result of water efficient designs and by education & awareness initiatives; and

treat waste water to a level of quality to where people want to buy it.


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Issue Response

Emerging technologies Emerging technologies that could be utilised to improve the wastewater treatment and water re-use options include:

water table injection – safe effluent to boost ground water tables

dust control – effluent from the WWTP is treated to a quality suitable for dust control applications in lieu of using other more valuable water sources;

landscape irrigation – effluent treated to for water lawns - this form of water re-use is accepted by the public and is simple common sense;

agricultural irrigation - current technologies are capable of producing effluent clean enough to safely irrigate food crops; and

high purification for industry – current technology can produce super clean water from WWTP effluent for use by the high tech industry. This would create a new product that can be sold and promote new industry in the Pilbara.


Policy/program options to address wastewater treatment requirements include:

protect by not polluting with wastewaters, the potable water resources through legislation.


improvement of urban water management by implementing water re-use in to the existing water planning and allocation processes; and

monitor and verify no, or “acceptable”, environmental impact from the WWTP.



Libya – all new WWTP to produce effluent suitable for irrigation of food crops.


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4 Electricity – Existing and future

4.1 Understanding the power network Generation Major settlements in the Shire of Roebourne are supplied with electricity by Horizon Power through the North West Interconnected System (NWIS). The NWIS covers thousands of square kilometres extending 400 kilometres east to west and 350 kilometres north to south. Within the Shire of Roebourne, the NWIS system serves Karratha, Roebourne and Point Samson through the Horizon Power network and Dampier and Wickham through the Pilbara Iron (RTIO-owned) network. It also serves Pannawonica, Paraburdoo and Tom Price through the Pilbara Iron (Rio Tinto) network and Port Hedland and South Hedland through the Horizon Power Network. The NWIS is not regulated by any governing body and multiple parties own and operate parts of the NWIS, including Horizon Power, BHPB, RTIO and Alinta. The existing system is a result of numerous standalone networks developed in the 1970s that were interconnected in 1985.

Figure 3: Power generation and distributions systems

Source: Energy Australia, Network Management Plan (2009)

Horizon Power carries the obligation to supply small-use customers and larger customers wishing to connect to the system, although it does not have full control of the network or the generation capacity necessary to meet the demand. Horizon Power has nominal generation capacity on the NWIS grid which is one of the main infrastructure issues requiring urgent attention. While this allows Horizon Power to achieve efficiencies through competitive procurement of generated power, it does come at a high risk if supply planning does not incorporate the termination of contracts or decommissioning of third party plant and the lead time required to construct new generation plant.


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Characteristics of the NWIS that make it atypical of electricity systems are:

unpredictable and uneven load growth associated with project-based development;

mixed public and private ownership of different parts of the transmission network without a unifying system management agreement; and

prevalence of off-grid self-generators. In most electricity systems, utilities rely on major industry to be the foundation of the load, justifying additional investment. In the Pilbara however, major industry generally provides its own power generation infrastructure, independent of the NWIS. Currently, Horizon Power does not have secure long-term access to sufficient generation capacity on the NWIS to meet expected demand of the Shire of Roebourne. Additional power supply to meet the demand is required to avoid significant shortfalls to meet peak demand periods. Significant investment in temporary power generation followed by investment in new power generation capacity will be required in the short and medium term to meet demand. The Department of Finance has established a Pilbara Power Project Board to support development of a whole of government solution to addressing future power supply requirements in the Pilbara Region. The North West Interconnected System (NWIS) capacity reduced dramatically in 2013 when Rio Tinto Iron Ore constructed a new power station near Karratha to meet its own needs and decommissioned its old generation facilities at Dampier and Cape Lambert. These facilities and their generation capacity were then lost to the NWIS. Supply and demand projections for Horizon Power customers are shown in Table 4 and potential supply options are shown in Table 5. Table 4: Current supply and projected demand (as of 2012 to Horizon Power customers)

Source in MW As at 2011 (MW) 2012 – 2015 (MW) 2015 – 2022 (MW) RITO 70 RITO generation capacity

taken offline

ATCO 86 86

Alinta 45 Existing PPA expires 2012

Total Supply 115 86 86

Demand 108 170 350

Shortfall by end of period 0 -84 -264

Source: Pilbara Investment Prospectus, RDA

Table 5: Potential supply options from 2012 to 2022

Expansion options Comment By 2015 By 2022 ATCO Expands Karratha Station to

maximum capacity 64 64

Alinta Needs gas supply and new PPA

85 85

New generation Unidentified provider 120

Or new PPA Unidentified provider 120

Total supply 235 355

Shortfall 0 0

Source: Pilbara Investment Prospectus, RDA


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Transmission and distribution The transmission and distribution network provides supply to the customer network. At present the transmission system is a mix of public and private ownership. Horizon Power is required to carry its power across systems owned by others with varying transmission capacities. There are a number of stand-alone power generation facilities across the Shire of Roebourne and the wider Pilbara Region that are not connected to the NWIS. If more of these assets could be accessed, it would increase efficiencies by making use of existing surplus capacity, meaning that less new generation investment would be required and line losses could be reduced. This would still require a considerable investment in transmission capacity to transport the power to the load centres. The Western Australian government is working to establish the Pilbara Power Project Board to oversee procurement of power from the private sector. It is also discussing the potential to work in collaboration with the resource sector to share the costs of future power infrastructure needs, which will provide an opportunity for private investment.

Figure 4: Power supplied and demand – Pilbara (assuming no private sector investment)

Source: Horizon Power

4.2 Supply and demand In Karratha, Horizon Power has a power purchase agreement (PPA) with ATCO to purchase 100 per cent of the output of a new 86MW gas generated power station to replace its previous agreement with Rio Tinto. Alinta’s Boodarie power station (175MW) presently operates under three PPA’s supplying power to BHPB and Horizon Power. Given expected increases in BHPB’s load, Horizon Power will need to secure access to additional power generation capacity.

Karratha power generation

Port Hedland power generation


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In April 2010, ATCO commissioned a new power station adjacent to Horizon Power’s base facility on Stove Hill Road, south of the Karratha Hills and employs two 43 MW high-efficiency gas turbines. The new power station was designed to meet the growing needs of the region and has current capacity to cater for the power needs of 75 000 households (excluding other usage for non-residential needs). The power station could, in the future, be expanded to 150 MW generation capacity to meet the future energy demands on the NWIS. In addition to consolidating and securing the generation supply, Horizon Power’s planning is focused on expanding the existing 220 kV transmission network and catering for the existing and future loads. To increase power capacity Horizon Power has also investigated the following alternatives:

Build own operate (BOO) funding from State Government;

BOO borrowing;

Power purchase agreement (PPA) with an Independent Power Producer (e.g. Alinta); and

PPA with a company supplying power for its own use (e.g. RTIO or CITIC Pacific). Horizon Power as developed an Asset Management Strategy to ensure an efficient and safe generation, transmission, and distribution system.

significant load growth is forecast for the NWIS, of which Horizon Power makes up approximately 30 per cent of the total system load;

generally, the NWIS is operating within the limits of the planning criteria for the 20 year study period, with the exception of a small number of transformers and lines that are overloaded under contingency conditions;

there are a significant number of plant items underrated for fault levels within the study period from 2011–2030;

the reinforcement of the transmission network is highly dependent on the operation of the system and contractual arrangements regarding the supply of Horizon Power’s load with RTIO, BHPB and Alinta; and

improved data and communications are required to ascertain overall system loads in the NWIS, and improved data and information sharing.

The projected demand and access to existing generation capacity based on the PPAs with RTIO, BHPB/Alinta and ATCO is shown in the Figure 5.


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Figure 5: Indicative power supply demand forecasts – NWIS peak summer load trends

Source: Horizon Power 2011

4.3 Future demand and infrastructure The power load across the Pilbara region increased significantly from the middle of the last decade New capacity from the ATCO plant in Karratha has improved the situation and provided some of the estimated 380 MW of upgrades will be required to meet the power requirements across the Pilbara to 2021. In addition to power generation, the network upgrades required included a Roebourne to Karratha transmission line ($70 m). Horizon Power’s peak load for the NWIS network was estimated at 122MW for 2011 and based on the average load growth of five per cent, forecast demand for residential and industrial needs will be 142 MW in 2013 and 187 MW by 2020. The Pilbara Power Project Board will examine opportunities for a public process to procure power for the Pilbara from the private sector and investigate potential collaboration for future power infrastructure requirements for the region. Horizon Power has commenced the Pilbara Underground Power Project which will improve the reliability of power supply during cyclones as well as reduce maintenance costs. The undergrounding of Karratha’s existing power distribution network has started and all recent residential and industrial subdivisions have been supplied with underground power.

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Investment in extension of the transmission system and negotiation of a unified system management arrangement between network owners may facilitate access to significant generation capacity currently not connected to the NWIS (e.g. CITIC Pacific’s new 450 MW power station at Cape Preston). Horizon Power presently has the following infrastructure projects either proposed, planned or underway for the NWIS network:

Pilbara Underground Power Project to convert current overhead distribution networks to an underground network in residential and light industrial areas of Karratha, Roebourne, South Hedland, Wedgefield and Onslow – funded with $100 million funding through Royalties for Regions;

refurbishment of Gap Ridge substation which is already partially funded;

transmission upgrades of $150 million, including the transmission line between Karratha and Port Hedland by up-rating the 132 kV line between Cape Lambert and Karratha to 220 kv. A further $115 million will be required post 2012/13 for additional construction works; and

a new power generation source will be required in 2013-14 to meet forecast load requirements,. The source is currently deferred by installing 20 MW generation at Karratha power station (at a cost of $40 million) and extension of a 60 MW contract with Alinta for a period of three years.

The estimated capital expenditure on the NWIS indicates a significant investment is required through to 2017-18 and then another smaller round of investment from 2022-23 through to 2025-26 (Figure 6).

Figure 6: Estimated power capital expenditure

Source: Horizon Power 2011

Rather than the existing continual State Government investment in power, open access to the transmission network would encourage a market approach which is likely to optimise efficient private investment and innovations in supply alternatives.

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4.4 Alternative forms of power generation The Pilbara’s current power supply based primarily on gas-powered generation. This is supplemented by some diesel in isolated towns and Horizon Power’s solar-diesel hybrids in Marble Bar and Nullagine. A report issued by the Australian Centre for Renewable Energy (ACRE) (now administered by the Australian Renewable Energy Agency) in October 2011 identified the significant potential for renewables, particularly wind and solar, in the Pilbara. The ACRE report also identified the need for exploration, mapping and monitoring of renewable energy resources in the Pilbara. Other options include the capacity to capitalise on the synergies of agricultural biomass production and the increasing electricity demands via emerging technologies in gasification through onsite power plants to produce syngas to drive electricity generator sets. Table 6 provides a range of options for alternative electricity generation, including an assessment of their suitability to the region. Table 6: Alternative forms of power generation:

Source Power generation potential Biomass Likely – New Energy and other firms are exploring investment in waste reduction and energy

generation systems.

Biofuel Likely – Investment by US based Aurora Algae in Karratha and interest by other international companies in biofuel production in the Pilbara may have an impact on remote power and energy supply.

Coal Possible – the feasibility of shipping coal to Port Hedland and building a coal-fired baseload plant has been investigated recently. This is marginal but should domestic gas prices continue their upward trend this may become commercially feasible. However, environmental approval and the carbon tax may be problematic.

Geo-thermal Possible – but reserves are not well understood. However, ground-source heat pumps may be promising as a demand management option.

Hydro Unlikely – water resources limited at level required and environmental approval improbable.

Nuclear Unlikely – new mini-nuclear (100–300MW) and micro-nuclear (10–30MW) technology is advancing and could suit remote towns and mine sites. Significant political, public opinion and environmental hurdles would need to be overcome.

Solar PV Likely – this technology is well established at utility scale and global economies of scale have seen costs decline significantly in recent years. Parity with wind is expected within five years. Intermittency would need to be managed, perhaps through hybrid technologies.

Solar Thermal Possible – technology is reasonably mature and utility scale facilities have been successful internationally. Not suitable for coastal locations in the Pilbara due to cyclone frequency but extension of the transmission network would facilitate inland facilities. Cost currently high and water requirements may be a challenge for inland locations.

Tidal Possible – Pilbara has potential good tidal resources that can be utilised. The area’s propensity for frequent severe cyclones and associated storm surge makes ocean-based power sources challenging. These technologies are also not well developed at commercial scales and are currently being tested in southern WA.

Wind Likely – the wind resource is ideal for complimentary utility scale generation. Small-scale wind-diesel or wind-gas hybrids (to manage intermittency) may be feasible as network support, but the necessity for cyclone-rated equipment (e.g. turbines can be laid down if necessary as in Coral Bay) will add significantly to the cost.

Source: State of Western Australia, unpublished information


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Distribution network Power is supplied to Karratha via an 11 kV network of overhead and underground power cables fed from zone substations located on Millstream Road and Dampier Highway. A change in voltage from 11 kV to 22 kV is needed to support Karratha’s future load growth in residential and commercial areas. The changeover will cost an estimated cost $25 m and funding has already been allocated as part of the Pilbara Underground Power Project, with construction anticipated to commence in July 2010 and completion by the end of 2011. Upgrading the high voltage network to 22 kV will enable the existing zone substations to provide adequate power for some time without the need for a new zone substation to be established. Design of the new 22 kV underground network should also include provision for potential significant additional load resulting from increased residential and commercial development proposed as part of the Karratha City Centre Master Plan.

4.5 Outcomes The key power issues in the Shire of Roebourne (and the Pilbara region) are:

securing new power generation capacity to meet existing and future load growth;

residential, commercial and industrial infrastructure expectations for resource projects in the NWIS; and

the impact of deferral of decisions pertaining to energy infrastructure. The State Government will investigate options to meet its future energy infrastructure requirements. This report identifies that:

temporary generation will be required to maintain power supplies until new generation is available; and

long-term power supply strategy for the Pilbara, based on market principles will have to be developed.

The challenges and opportunities for electricity generation, distribution and demand management are shown in Table 7. Table 7: Challenges and opportunities for electricity in the Shire of Roebourne

Issue Response

Challenges Planning for the Shire’s energy infrastructure requires a regional solution region’s energy infrastructure requirements in 2035 will need to address the following challenges:


development of effective energy delivery mechanisms;

securing adequate funding;

acknowledging and catering for changing roles of industry;

inclusion of the private sector in power provision;

addressing emerging impacts of climate change; and


Desired outcome The region requires an integrated, efficient and effective power source(s) and distribution network that utilises new and/or alternative technologies to facilitate economic growth and accommodate population expansion.


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Issue Response

Investment Ongoing capital works investment in the region’s energy infrastructure, in the medium to long-term, will be required. Some examples include:

utilization of "combined" power and water desalination plant;

"infrastructure led growth" not "growth led infrastructure", it is easier to group population centres versus dictating where industry will locate; and

construction of more power plants and/or capacity upgrades as required.

Improvement strategies

Alternative strategies to improve the region’s power network include:

new coordinated and integrated regional distribution systems – in lieu of disconnected and isolated infrastructure built separately by the public sector and industry;

power reduction - lessening the requirements of future power plants via energy efficient designs and by education/awareness initiatives;

strategic partnerships between industry and the public sector – a platform for negotiating projects; and

utilise demand management - ongoing monitoring of power consumption.

Emerging technologies

Emerging technologies that could be utilised to improve the energy network include:

"combined" power & potable water desalination plant – the obvious “winner” but requires significant change and cooperation from utility providers;

gas – clean and available, best choice for power plants located inland;

coal – clean coal technologies exist, but coal is not naturally available and would have to be transported into the region;

renewables - wind, solar, wave and bio-fuels should all be embraced to “supplement” power supplies. Use of big wind farms or residential solar panels and selling power back to utility companies;

nuclear – might be a more “palatable” in 2035, Pilbara could power all of Western Australia;

geothermal – the region has geothermal reserves that may be utilised for future energy generation; and

tri-generation – systems that can attain higher overall efficiencies than cogeneration or “traditional” power plants of today.

Policy/program options to address power requirements include:





Policy/program options to address power requirements include:





make decisions locally in the Pilbara instead of in Perth; and

faster access to resources – very long processes exist today for acquiring land or required permitting



"combined" gas power & desalination plant – these are the most efficient technologies applicable to the Pilbara, and are in use in other parts of Australia and around the globe.


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5 Solid waste – Existing and future

5.1 Overview Each Pilbara resident generates and average of 731 kilograms of waste per year and there is currently minimal recycling of waste in the region, with only one per cent being recovered for recycling and the rest sent to landfill. The Shire of Roebourne has experienced considerable growth in recent years and reports an increase of over 50 per cent in waste volumes over the last five years. Karratha’s main disposal facility, the Seven Mile Waste Disposal Facility west of Karratha, permits the disposal of general, effluent, hazardous and green waste, and includes a recycling facility. The Shire of Roebourne requires:

a comprehensive waste recycling and disposal plan; and

a suitable Class IV waste management and hazardous waste disposal facility.

5.2 Future requirements and planning The Pilbara local governments, through the Pilbara Regional Council, completed a Regional Waste Management Plan in 2008 to:

improve the management and use of landfills;

extend the life of existing landfills; and

if possible, replace the smaller landfills with transfer stations equipped to meet the needs of the people and the environment.

The report recommended further investigation into waste management processes, practices and requirements in the Shire of Roebourne. A review of waste management services was completed in April 2010, and includes a number of recommendations regarding upgrades to existing facilities, resourcing and investigations into emerging technologies. The Pilbara councils are also considering options to divert waste to recycling and also using waste to produce energy. Table 8: Challenges and opportunities for telecommunications in the Shire of Roebourne

Issue Response

Challenges Planning for the region’s solid waste requirements in 2035 will need to address the following challenges:


development of effective collection and handling mechanisms;

securing of adequate funding;

changing roles of industry and the private sector in solid waste disposal & recycling; and embracing new technologies and opportunities.

Desired outcome In 2035, the region’s solid waste generation needs to be minimized at the source and recycling technologies need to be embraced.


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Issue Response

Investment Ongoing capital works investment in the region’s solid waste infrastructure, in the medium to long-term, will be required. Some examples include:

provision of coordinated waste management facilities that incorporate new technologies.

Improvement strategies Alternative strategies to improve the region’s solid waste infrastructure include:

promote reductions in solid waste output as a result of recycling and by education & awareness initiatives; and

promote reduction in solid waste output by demanding less packaging in retail goods.

Emerging technologies Emerging technologies that could be utilised to improve the solid waste network include:

incineration – a “clean” technology which could be coupled with some other industry or process that also produces heat or needs heat energy;

recycling – new technologies to sort & separate out good materials from solid waste piles;

re-use – ex. discounts in retail for using your own materials; coffee cups, shopping bags, etc.;

design life - stop making products that have a “design life” and fail much sooner than they could; and

traditional landfills – are very clean and safe today, but simply use up large areas of land.


Policy/program options to address solid waste handling requirements include:

continue government programs to educate and increase awareness;

encourage new partnership between local government and the private sector where appropriate to reduce landfill volumes in a way where everyone benefits;

encourage new partnership to handle “specialized” wastes; and

encourage other “partnerships” between government and industry to develop future economic growth strategies.


coordinate collection and transport logistics;

identify and protect sites by legislation; and

determine best sites for new landfills based on environmental impact analysis




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6 Telecommunications

6.1 Infrastructure Karratha’s telecommunications exchange and tower is located in the town centre on Balmoral Road, south of Morse Court. A communications reserve is also located on View Road, south of Millstream Road. This site accommodates the Telstra satellite station. The connection speeds are reasonable for the centres in the Pilbara in comparisons to other regional centres, however, as shown in Figure 7, access to higher download speeds is somewhat limited at present.

Figure 7: Broadband telecommunications by speed/technology

Source: Telstra


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6.2 Mobile networks There are a number of mobile phone towers located across Karratha. Both Telstra and Optus have recently installed, or are planning to establish additional towers to improve coverage and address reliability issues. Telstra’s coverage for voice and data networks are shown in Figures 8 – 10.

Figure 8: Telstra voice (NextG) network coverage

Source: Telstra


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Figure 9: Telstra mobile data network – device only coverage

Source: Telstra

Figure 10: Telstra mobile data network (NextG and 4G) – device plus antenna coverage

Source: Telstra


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Figure 11 shows the mobile coverage for Optus network in the Pilbara.

Figure 11: Optus mobile coverage in the Pilbara (3G dual band – brown, 3G single band – green)

Source: Optus

6.3 Future requirements and planning Projects to improve the existing mobile phone coverage, and access to the National Broadband Network have been identified as part of the Pilbara Cities initiative. Commencing in March 2015, a number of areas within the Shire of Roebourne are due to be connected to the Australian Government’s National Broadband Network (NBN) via optic fibre cable. This rollout will include Karratha, Karratha Industrial Estate, Gap Ridge, Dampier and Roebourne. The newer developments in some of these areas already have the distribution network ready to be connected when available. Horizon Power has an agreement with the NBN Co help install NBN conduits in Karratha in conjunction with its power undergrounding program. The NBN will provide the capacity for high quality teleconferencing facilities, and also provide general access through digital hubs.


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The telecommunications challenges and opportunities in the Shire of Roebourne are detailed in Table 9. Table 9: Challenges and issues for telecommunications in the Shire of Roebourne

Issue Response

Challenges Planning for the region’s telecommunication infrastructure requirements in 2035 will need to address the following challenges:

industry will need access to a telecommunications infrastructure;

population will require access to high quality telecommunications infrastructure ; and


Desired outcome The region requires high capacity and reliable telecommunication network(s) to facilitate and accommodate growth.

Investment New technology and business model:

building the National Broadband Network (NBN) will introduce a new service provider Business as usual:

construct more mobile infrastructure and traditional landlines as required

Improvement strategies

Alternative strategies to improve the region’s telecommunications infrastructure include:

private industry “sharing” with the public sector – i.e. high flow data connections for a resources project might easily be shared with the public at no decrease in level of service; and

public sector partnership – mobile and NBN agreeing on territories for each to cover separately providing more total service area.

Emerging technologies

In the short term, most changes will rely on improvements and changes to current technologies:

satellite – in use today for isolated areas; expensive but works well when no other coverage;

mobile towers;

"in-ground" fixed lines; and

National Broadband Network (NBN).


Policy/program options to address telecommunications requirements include:

encourage new partnership between local government and the private sector where appropriate increase data volumes in a way where everyone benefits; and

encourage other “partnerships” between government and the private sector to develop future economic growth strategies.


Access to resources; and

Timely approvals.


Locations where similar strategies for providing telecommunications infrastructure are taking place.


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7 Conclusion Current investment in infrastructure will deconstrain the critical infrastructure in the Shire of Roebourne and facilitate anticipated growth over the short term. Continued investment will be needed particularly in the West Pilbara Water Supply Scheme and the North West Interconnected System in order to meet future demand growth. Initiatives such as demand management and water recycling may help to buy some additional time before the next round of upgrades, however they should not be relied on to address the medium to long term demand growth. The summary situation for each of the five major settlements in the Shire of Roebourne is shown in Table 10. Table 10: Summary of infrastructure capacity for by settlement, Shire of Roebourne

Settlement Water Waste water Electricity Telecommunications

Karratha

All settlements in the Shire of Roebourne are serviced by the West Pilbara Water Supply Scheme, which is nearing capacity and vulnerable to climate changes.

Currently constrained, but upgrade projects will deconstrain growth.

All settlements are serviced by the North West Interconnected System which is sufficient to meet demand to 2015, and will need expansion to the ATCO Karratha facility to meet forecast demand from 2016 onwards.

Dampier Aging infrastructure needs replacement/ upgrading.

Wickham Sufficient capacity for foreseeable growth.

NBN rollout Sept 2016

Point Samson

Sufficient capacity for foreseeable growth.

NBN rollout Sept 2016

Roebourne Sufficient capacity for foreseeable growth.

Legend Constrained with additional investment required

Constrained, but investment is already underway or committed to upgrade infrastructure networks.

Sufficient capacity to meet foreseeable demand.


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Appendix 1 Scheme water infrastructure needs

LOCATION PROJECT ISSUE/PROBLEM REQUIRED ACTION 2-5

YRS COST (millions)

OUTCOME RISK FURTHER PLANNING

Scheme water

Karratha WPWSS Scheme water supply Current demand is near the sustainable yield of the existing system. In addition, there is major residential and industrial growth in the West Pilbara area requiring additional water supplies. There is an urgent requirement for the development of a new water source(s) to augment the WPWSS. The proposed seawater desalination plant on the Burrup Peninsula has been deferred.

The Bungaroo groundwater scheme will be a new significant source integrated into the WPWSS. The yield of the source is expected to be 10GL/yr to potentially 15GL/yr.

$68m $370m

Following construction of the Bungaroo groundwater source, the total demand for WPWSS can be met up to 2015−21.

The major risk with Bungaroo borefield source is RTIO building the source on schedule. The WPWSS has to be upgraded to distribute the additional water to the demand areas. This work includes new pipelines, pump stations and storage tanks.

Planning needs to be undertaken to determine the next source of water for the WPWSS after the Bungaroo source is built. This source could be a further expansion of Bungaroo or a seawater desalination plant on the Burrup Peninsula. Water Corporation is also reviewing the yield from the existing Harding/Millstream water sources with the aim of increasing the draw to greater than 10GL/yr. The Water Corporation has been investigating the feasibility of a non-potable supply to augment the WPWSS.

Port Hedland EPWSS

Scheme water supply The current total demand of the town is nearing the maximum capacity of the scheme water supply system. In addition, there is major residential and industrial growth in the East Pilbara area requiring additional water supplies.

The Yule and De Grey borefields are being upgraded to provide an additional 5GL/yr of water for the East Pilbara water supply system. Completion of a study into the long term viability and supply from the West Canning Bain

$116m $20m

Additional water source to serve Port / South Hedland. This will meet existing industry demand and predicted demand for Pilbara cities town growth (residential, commercial and light industrial) until 2018-19. However, a further source is required earlier if demand from large industry growth is to be met

Without new water sources it will not be possible to support the anticipated population growth in Port Hedland beyond 2015-18.

Planning needs to be undertaken to determine the next source of water for the EPWSS after the current source upgrades and if the West Canning Basin cannot provide sufficient supply. The deferred desalination plant remains an option (provided energy can be sourced and business model for funding and operation is viable).


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Appendix 2 Waste water infrastructure needs


YRS COST OUTCOME RISK FURTHER PLANNING

Wastewater

Karratha Wastewater system Karratha WWTP #1 will be upgraded to be the major WWTP in Karratha. Karratha WWTP’s #2 will increase slightly and #3 will remain close to its current size. Karratha WWTPs are nearing capacity. The Shire of Roebourne and Water Corporation are investigating grey water reuse for POS.

Upgrade WWTP #1 plant. Completion of a TWW study and feasibility.

$68m $37m

Wastewater treatment plant will be able to cater for the increase flows experienced from new residential areas. Grey water reuse for POS watering will decrease demand for scheme water.

Wastewater treatment plant will be able to cater for the increase flows experienced from new residential areas.

There may be an opportunity to set up a reuse facility to supply treated wastewater for industrial purposes such as dust suppression and road construction. This will reduce the costs of plant upgrades as well as reducing the amount of new scheme water required.

Port Hedland Wastewater system There is limited undeveloped land available in Port Hedland. The Port Hedland WWTP site has the potential to be re-developed for residential development. There may be an opportunity to set up a reuse facility to supply treated wastewater for industrial purposes such as dust suppression and road construction. This will reduce the costs of plant upgrades as well as reducing the amount of new scheme water required. Water Corporation is investigating this opportunity. The costs of the relocation would need to be borne by the Government.

Relocate the Port Hedland WWTP to the South Hedland site. Combine the two WWTPs into one plant.

$114m Relocation of the WWTP will free up land for new developments. The relocation of Port Hedland WWTP to South Hedland WWTP has the potential to release land (1,500 lots) for development. A significant developer contribution to the project would be required. The project cost is high due to the need to return the Port Hedland WWTP effluent to Port Hedland for re-use in irrigation.

High costs of developing the Port Hedland WWTP site.

There is a need to identify the total cost of developing the Port Hedland WWTP site.


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Appendix 3 Power infrastructure needs


YRS COST OUTCOME RISK FURTHER PLANNING

Power

Karratha and Port Hedland

Power There is a projected 5 per cent growth in demand beyond 2012 and there will be a need to invest in new power capacity to cater for future peak demand. The upgrade and increased interconnectivity of transmission lines for the NWIS will require significant investment.

Investigation into alternatives to source the predicted supply shortfall to meet demand Transmission upgrades

The project is not costed or funded. $150m

The Pilbara Power Project Board will need to examine a whole of government approach to power needs in the Pilbara. The existing transmission connection between Karratha and Port Hedland is limited in transmitting power >50MW. A new power station at South Hedland could reduce the urgency to fully upgrade the transmission line.

The present generation capacity through the available PPAs may not meet the forecasted load demand for the NWIS network.

The Pilbara Power Project Board will need to examine a whole of government approach to power


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Appendix 4 Telecommunications

LOCATION PROJECT ISSUE/PROBLEM REQUIRED ACTION 2-

5 YRS COST OUTCOME RISK FURTHER PLANNING

Telecommunications

Karratha/Port Hedland

Community facilities Communications capacity and affordability will be critical for telecommunications and digital services in the Pilbara region.

A collaborative approach involving local governments and the State Government is required. Develop a telecommunications strategy.

Unknown at this stage. communications and capacity across region.

Region not keeping pace with digital technology advances.

Continue to monitor.

version control - city of karratha · facilitation of economic diversification that can widen...

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