Australian-based Thiess and its joint venture partners have reached financial close on the contract for Australia’s largest desalination project. The client is the Victoria state government. The project volume totals approximately EUR 2.1 billion. The AquaSure consortium consists of Thiess, Suez Environnement, Degrémont and Macquarie Capital. Works on the desalination plant will start in October 2009 and be completed as early as at the end of 2011. The facility is expected to supply 150 billion liters of drinking water a year to Melbourne and other cities in the region. The project also includes construction and operation of the 86km transfer pipeline to connect the desalination plant to Melbourne‘s water network. In addition, the Thiess consortium is responsible for the energy supply, operating with a 100% renewable energy offset. In this context, construction of a wind farm for the plant is planned.