ACCIONA and its partner SMEC, operating under the Malabar System Alliance (MSA) consortium, have been selected to work in partnership with Sydney Water, Australia’s largest water utility, on the Malabar Wastewater System Renewal Program in Sydney.
This ten-year program aims to enhance and expand wastewater treatment capacity in response to population growth and the increasing demand for water services across Sydney’s southern and western regions. To achieve this, the program—divided into two delivery packages—includes the upgrade of three Water Resource Recovery Facilities (WRRFs) and the construction of new pipelines.
The project’s goal is to strengthen the region’s wastewater network, improve system resilience, and ensure the sustainable management of water resources into the future
The first package involves upgrading two WRRFs in the Liverpool and Glenfield suburbs. The project’s goal is to strengthen the region’s wastewater network, improve system resilience, and ensure the sustainable management of water resources into the future.
The innovative design proposed by the ACCIONA-led consortium maximizes future opportunities for purified recycled water production and river discharge control. By implementing and optimizing state-of-the-art treatment processes, the solution is expected to deliver up to a 60% improvement in energy efficiency while significantly enhancing long-term operational performance through the consolidation of treatment at a single secondary facility. The construction of this first package is expected to be completed by 2029.
Local leadership
ACCIONA was established in Australia in 2002 and has become one of the country’s leading infrastructure companies.
In 2009, the company was awarded one of its most emblematic projects in Australia, the Adelaide desalination plant. The plant has a capacity of 300,000 m³ per day and serves a population of two million. It was the first of its kind in the country, incorporating advanced pre-treatment to improve energy efficiency and increase the recovery of treated water for human consumption.
In 2011, ACCIONA was awarded its first water project in Western Australia, consisting of the design, build, operation and maintenance of the Mundaring Water Treatment Plant, which provides water into the Goldfields, one of the state´s nine region.
In 2024, an ACCIONA-led consortium was selected as the preferred proponent by Water Corporation, the largest water utility in Western Australia, to design, build, operate and maintain the future Alkimos Seawater Desalination Plant (ASDP) in Perth for ten years. The plant will have an initial (Stage 1) capacity of 150,000 m³ per day, with an additional 150,000 m³ per day, when required, under Stage 2.
ACCIONA was established in Australia in 2002 and has become one of the country’s leading infrastructure companies
Beyond the water sector, ACCIONA is developing many large infrastructure projects in the country. Recently, it was selected by the Government of Victoria to build the first series of tunnels for the Suburban Rail Loop East project in Melbourne, as part of the Suburban Connect consortium with CPB Contractors and Ghella. The AU$3.6 billion (€2.2 billion) contract will transform Melbourne’s public transport network, manage the city’s growth and reduce the number of vehicles on the road.
In 2023, ACCIONA was also awarded the AU$1.4 billion (€850 million) contract to build the eastern section of the HumeLink electricity transmission line in New South Wales. The company is also designing and building the Western Harbour Tunnel, valued at approximately AU$4.24 billion (€2.746 billion), the largest construction contract in ACCIONA’s history, which recently commenced tunnelling.
Other major contracts in the country include the construction of the runway at the new Western Sydney International Airport (Nancy Bird Walton); the central section of Sydney Metro West, the new underground railway that runs through much of the country’s largest city; and the removal of level crossings on the Frankston railway line in Melbourne.
In addition to ACCIONA's prominent role in Australia's infrastructure sector, ACCIONA Energía also plays a significant role in its energy sector. The company has built the MacIntyre wind farm, named after the country's largest wind farm, with a total capacity of 1,026 MW and an associated investment of AU$2 billion (€1.3 billion).
