Voith Hydro has successfully completed factory acceptance tests (FATs) for critical components of Australia’s Snowy 2.0 pumped storage project, marking a significant step forward in the delivery of one of the world’s largest clean energy developments.

Testing took place across two continents. In Shanghai, generator components — including rotor poles and stator bars — underwent rigorous inspections to verify insulation consistency, lamination quality and magnetic flux distribution. Meanwhile, in Heidenheim, Germany, digital and hydraulic governors for Units 5 and 6 were put through their paces, marking the first use of bus-controlled proportional valves on an Allen-Bradley PLC platform.

Both FATs were completed on schedule, with positive feedback from the customer confirming technical precision and quality management. More than 30 Voith engineers and technicians contributed, building valuable expertise for the commissioning phase in Australia.

Snowy 2.0 is a cornerstone of Australia’s transition to renewable energy. Once completed, the scheme will provide critical pumped storage capacity, supporting grid stability and the integration of wind and solar power.

Voith Hydro Reaches Key Milestone for Snowy 2.0 Pumped Storage Project
H2O Team

Chopper Pumps made by Landia are on their way to Queensland, Australia, where an important sewage treatment plant (STP) is undergoing a multi-million-dollar upgrade.

A total of eight Landia MPTK-GI units will play a vital role in the plant’s sludge treatment process, with the facility seeking to improve efficiencies and reduce operating costs as the population on Australia’s sand-rich shoreline grows.

Due for completion in 2028, the modernization of the STP, close to numerous surfing destinations, will ensure serviceability for an additional 25,000 people over the next two decades.

Designed with an external knife system that prevents solids from entering the pump’s casing, the Landia Chopper Pump (the world’s first ever chopper pump, invented by the company in 1950) has a proven worldwide reputation for its reliability and longevity.

This latest contract win follows an order from STORTEC Engineering for Landia to provide its GasMix digester mixing system for 4000m³ digesters in Australia. Landia is also supplying its JetMix system for a hydrolysis tank at the same new food-waste-to-energy facility.

Surf’s Up for Landia Chopper Pumps
H2O Team

• Water treatment plant helps Daru Island achieve water self-sufficiency

• Solar powered power plant reduces high costs of diesel fuel and carbon footprint

• Turnkey project commissioned on-site in record two months

A small island in the South Fly District of Western Province Papua New Guinea is benefitting from a renewable powered project that is now providing clean, potable water to its residents.

With a population of about 20,000 residents, the island of Daru previously imported its water from a diesel-powered pumping station located on the mainland. The expensive supply resulted in an unreliable source, often leaving the island stranded with no available potable water for months during each year.

Lacking water independence and facing potential fuel shortages and other logistic challenges, the island needed a solution to provide a reliable clean water supply for communities and agricultural development.

The PNG Sustainable Development Program (PNGSDP) and Innovative Agro Industry (IAI), an affiliate of the international development company, LR Group, partnered with ROTEC to deliver a water project that combines renewable energy and clean water supply to Daru island.

Water supply was also required for the Fly Agro-Industrial Centre, established by PNGSDP and IAI. The centre includes a modern vanilla farm and aqua-culture creating jobs and revenue generating opportunities for the local communities.

The 100 m3/hour turnkey water treatment plant was commissioned in a record two months, despite facing challenging logistics, including delivering materials and equipment to a remote Island. The plant treats brackish water from boreholes to provide Daru’s inhabitants with nearly two million liters of high-quality drinking water per day.

Linking to a neighbouring solar array including local battery storage capability, the project eliminated the high pumping costs associated with diesel fuel usage for water production, using renewable energy via a photovoltaic (PV) solar farm.

Using the innovative Flow Reversal Reverse Osmosis (FR-RO) technology, the Daru project delivers high water recovery rates of between 80-90%, while using near-zero chemicals in the process – minimizing impact on the marine environment. Low quality groundwater is handled by the FR-RO process, providing self-cleaning while maintaining stability.

Boaz Shitzer, CEO of ROTEC, said: “Daru was facing a big challenge around water stability and safety. Together with PNGSDP and IAI, we overcame logistical challenges during construction to create a sustainable and very resilient water supply for both the local communities and agriculture development, on the remote island. We hope this can serve as a model for bringing local, clean, and resilient drinking water infrastructure and operation to other remote and developing communities around the world.”

Following success in Daru, LR Group, IAI and ROTEC are now pursuing together joint projects, combining water, agriculture and wastewater across Africa, Asia and Australasia.

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Daru island, Papua New Guinea achieves water independence
louise davey

Australian company, LithTech is revolutionizing raw minerals extraction and metals with their patented magnesium separation technology, which can be used for hydrogen production. As independently verified by University of Queensland’s Dow Centre through lab-scale testing, this advanced process can extract 90-95% lithium – a vast improvement compared to traditional methods that only successfully retain 40-45%.

There is considerable interest from multiple industries for this product due to its ability to unlock profits through increased production and reduced operational costs.

Not surprisingly given its multiple benefits across various industries (e.g., mining waste treatment), it has generated considerable interest from many sources: improved production efficiency & profitability; new revenue streams; reduced emissions; green energy generation via hydrogen fuel cells; sustainable flame retardant use in conjunction with magnesium hydroxide output from all uses cases – plus cost savings for retrofitting onto existing infrastructure or constructing new plants! Additionally, wastewater processing capabilities combined with carbon sequestration benefit the environment around us on both global and local scales alike.

After releasing these exciting results publicly amidst resounding support in the market place—LithTech now turns enthusiastically towards developing its commercial prototype while concurrently seeking project partners who wish to participate actively in forthcoming trials demonstrating how well this innovative approach actually performs when used commercially out ‘in the wild’.

Click here to read more articles about wastewater.

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MentorAPM, a software solutions company, and UNGANCO, an engineering consulting firm, have reached the halfway mark of their asset management plan aimed at establishing resilience among indigenous communities in Cape York. The plan, which received more than $4 million funding from the Australian Government, aims to digitize community services and infrastructure to reduce the risk and impact of cyclones and other natural disasters.

Nine participating councils have signed up for the program, and four have successfully implemented the technology. The partnership between MentorAPM and UNGANCO was launched last year to establish a digitally supported asset management program for First Nations communities situated in remote coastal regions across Far North Queensland, an area prone to severe flooding associated with tropical cyclones.

UNGANCO’s founder, Alex Ung, says the company’s guiding principle is to bridge the gap between all levels of government. By partnering with MentorAPM, they aim to develop the tools required to keep loved ones safe in the community. UNGANCO is an indigenous-owned engineering consulting firm committed to working with organizations facing short-term resourcing constraints.

Tacoma Zach, MentorAPM’s founder and CEO, said that by introducing asset management technology, they hope to enhance disaster preparedness. The companies will help secure community services and infrastructure before disasters strike, reducing the time it takes indigenous communities to recover from these events.

This week, the partners are attending Ozwater, Australia’s premier water exhibition and conference in Sydney, celebrating two years of working together and a safe close to this year’s official cyclone season.

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