ACCIONA Agua awarded sewage treatment plant contract in Australia

ACCIONA Agua has secured a major contract to support Monadelphous’ design and construct scope for Unitywater’s upgrade to its Kawana Sewage Treatment Plant on the Sunshine Coast. 

The project involves the introduction of a wastewater treatment process called Moving Bed Biofilm Reactor (MBBR) on a scale not previously seen in Australia. MBBR is based on thousands of specially designed polyethylene biofilm carriers (media) being placed into a bioreactor, providing a large surface area for micro-organisms to grow on. These carriers are kept in suspension in the bioreactor by either mixers or aeration, with bacteria from the wastewater attaching themselves to the suspended carriers.

In addition, technology will be used to enhance the production and utilization of methane-rich biogas, which will be used to generate electricity and offset the plant’s power requirements, reducing its operational carbon footprint.

This project, which is scheduled for completion in December 2018, brings ACCIONA Agua's wastewater treatment expertise to Australia and is a significant milestone in the company’s development.

Wide experience in the country

Australia is one of the strategic growth markets for ACCIONA in its most outstanding activities: infrastructure and renewable energy.

In addition to water projects, its Infrastructure division is involved in a number of highway contracts across the country, such as the Toowoomba Second Range Crossing (TSRC) highway, worth A$1.6 billion, to be built in the town of Toowoomba, Queensland; The Sydney Light Rail; and the completed Legacy Way tunnels in Brisbane, already in operation. ACCIONA Energy has four wind farms totaling 302.5 MW in Australia, the fourth country in terms of installed capacity for ACCIONA after Spain, the United States and Mexico.