South East Water shares water treatment expertise with international visitors

South East Water recently welcomed a delegation of government and utility industry officials from Mongolia on a knowledge-sharing visit to key operational sites.

Representatives from the Mongolian Ministry of Construction and Urban Development, as well as several senior business and industry executives, visited Australia in November as part of a global knowledge-sharing initiative focusing on best practices in wastewater treatment.

The visitors toured the newly upgraded and innovative Boneo Water Recycling Plant, where they learned about South East Water’s technical processes for wastewater treatment, managing health, safety and hygiene at the plant, and an overview of the resource recovery process.

Suez, part of the John Holland Suez Beca Joint Venture who delivered the project and will operate and maintain the plant for 10 years, also presented alongside South East Water sharing key learnings from the Boneo project and plans for the next phase.

Following the tour, South East Water welcomed the delegation to its Frankston headquarters, where the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (previously the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning) shared an overview of the Victorian water industry.

South East Water also shared key information about its operations, digital transformation journey and how it is making knowledge, research, and technology available to others through Iota and the Australian Water Association.

South East Water Service Delivery General Manager Simon Willis said the organisation was grateful to host the delegation and hoped it would help to the delegation tackle some shared challenges in this space.

SB Consulting LLC, which hosted the delegation, thanked South East Water on behalf of the group, and said they looked forward to working together to achieve a sustainable water future. 

The consulting group was pleased to learn of the new technology used and thanked South East Water for helping them deliver on a shared vision of delivering reliable water and wastewater services, while minimising the impact of such works on customers and the environment. 

The Boneo Water Recycling Plant upgrade incorporates low-energy nutrient removal and energy recovery processes. These upgrades support South East Water to achieve its emissions reduction target of 45% by 2025 and longer-term goal of net zero emissions by 2030. They also provide the potential for the plant to produce enough energy through the treatment process to be self-sustaining.

This is another example of how the Victorian water industry works with across borders to help achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, the United Nation’s goal of global action on climate change, and to improve health and education and spur economic growth.

Photos:

Top: Representatives from the Mongolian Ministry of Construction and Urban Development, and senior business and industry executives on their visit to South East Water's key operational sites.

Bottom: On tour at South East Water's Boneo Water Recycling Plant - learning the technical processes for wastewater treatment, managing health, safety and hygiene at the plant, and an overview of the resource recovery process.