AWWA MTC57602

Eraring Power Station is a 2640MW coal-fired plant operated by Eraring Energy. This station supplies 25% of the power for New South Wales, Australia. Increasing development in the region has put pressure on the available water resources. The combination of a high potable water requirement and the susceptibility of New South Wales to drought has led Eraring Energy to capitalize upon effluent reuse to produce process water for the power station. Since 1995, Eraring Energy has operated an effluent purification plant, known as the Water Reclamation Plant (WRP), which uses a combination of micro-filtration (MF) and reverse osmosis (RO) technology to treat secondary sewage from a local treatment works. Treated water from the WRP is then used as feed for the station's demineralizing plant and in auxiliary plant areas. The WRP is unique because the micro-filtration system still contains the original membranes installed over seven years ago. This is the longest operation of membranes in an effluent reuse application in the world. Includes 2 references, tables, figures.