Goldfields Superpipe contract goes to Tyco International

Construction of the Goldfields Superpipe has reached another milestone with Tyco International being awarded a contract to the value of approximately $35 million to supply pipe for the 85 kilometre project.

The pipe, to be manufactured at Tyco's Melbourne and Sydney factories, will take water from near Bendigo’s Sandhurst Reservoir to the White Swan Reservoir in Ballarat.

The signing of the contract to supply the 760mm steel pipe is a key milestone in starting the $180 million Superpipe in May, with pipes expected to begin arriving next month (March). The pipeline will consist of mild steel cement lined pipe and ductile iron cement lined pipe.

Central Highlands Water chairman John Barnes said securing a supplier had been a major coup especially as so many similar projects were happening around the country.

Mr Barnes said with the awarding of the pipe contract, Central Highlands Water was confident that work would start on schedule and that the pipeline would be supplementing Ballarat’s water supply by August 2008.

With the planning, design and consultation process well underway, tenders for civil works are expected to be considered over the next two months.

Construction of the pipeline, which is designed to secure Ballarat's water supply for the next 50 years, was announced late last year by the Premier of Victoria Steve Bracks. Nine years of below average rainfall, the effects of climate change and increased population growth have impacted severely on Ballarat's water supply with the pipeline seen as the best long-term solution to meet the present and future needs of Ballarat and district urban water users.
More than 85 percent of the pipeline will be constructed inside high voltage power line easements with the remainder on road reserves and private land.

All water allocated to the project will be purchased from willing sellers who have existing irrigation licences ensuring no further harvesting of the Goulburn system.