Northern Water Business Case Summary Released

On 22 February 2024 the Northern Water Business Case Summary was released to the public.

The Business Case Summary outlines the proposal, the site selection process, economic assessment, commercial model, delivery strategy and funding requirements and is now available to view and download here.

Northern Water is expected to create over 4,200 jobs and an average annual $5.2bn boost to the South Australian economy. The 260 megalitre desalination plant and 600km pipeline network to the State’s north would create a reliable water supply to enable the tripling of copper production as well as kickstarting hydrogen and green iron operations.

The initial stage of the project is estimated to cost about $5bn, with the cost being recouped via commercial water supply agreements.

Delivery of the project is to be via a design, build, operate and maintain (DBOM) model to deliver maximum speed, flexibility and cost certainty.

A Final Investment Decision (FID) is expected in the first half of 2026 following the completion of the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) process.