Perth (suburb)
Perth has a residential population of 6,341. Residents of Perth are drawn from a number of backgrounds – 40% of the population were born in Australia with minorities from England (6.5%), New Zealand (2.4%), Malaysia (2.1%), Vietnam (2.1%) and Italy (1.9%).
Seawater desalination in Australia
About 2 million people occupy the Perth region in the south western corner of Western Australia. The Perth Seawater Desalination Plant (PSDP) was installed in late 2006 to produce up to 45 gigalitres of potable water per year. In addition, its brine discharge has been shown to have no adverse impact on the environment. The plant buys its power from electricity generated by the Emu Downs Wind Farm, located 200 kilometers north of Perth. The 83 megawatt wind farm consists of 48 wind turbines and contributes over 272 giga-watt-hours (GWhr) per year into the grid, fully offsetting the Perth SWRO Plant’s estimated electrical requirement of 180 GWhr per year. The plant has attracted interest from the world’s water industry and media, and has won numerous national and international awards including the International Desalination Association’s International Desalination Plant of the Year in 2007.