Helena Water to build Mundaring plant

The state government has announced the first public private partnership in Western Australia's water industry, with Helena Water to fund, build and operate the new Mundaring Water Treatment Plant.

Helena Water is a consortium comprising Brookfield Multiplex, the Royal Bank of Scotaland, Acciona Agua and United Utilities.

The consortium will fund and build the new plant, to be commissioned in 2013, and run it for 35 years before handing it back to the Water Corporation.

Water Minister Bill Marmion said the decision to allow full private industry involvement in a big water supply project was a logical addition to the Water Corporation's well established and nationally respected Alliance partnerships.

Past partnerships have developed the Perth Seawater Desalination Plant and the soon to be commissioned Southern Seawater Desalination Plant

"We are fully satisfied that a public private partnership in which private industry funds, designs, constructs and operates this plant is the right model to deliver this crucial water infrastructure project," Mr Marmion said.

Mr Marmion said the contract would be finalised in around four months when all terms and conditions were agreed between the consortium and the corporation.