The Wyangala Dam Upgrade involves a major augmentation of the 1,218 gigalitre Wyangala Dam with the aim of improving water security and flood management in the Lachlan Valley. The project involves:
- raising the embankment and downstream rockfill to increase storage capacity by 650 gigalitres
- raising the spillway and intake towers of the dam by 10 meters, and
- other works to ensure safe access and maintenance on the crest and downstream areas.
Funding contributions
| NSW Government | |
|
The 2022-23 October Federal Budget deferred Commonwealth funding for the project, which will be reconsidered once a project business case is completed. |
|
Procurement
| Procuring Agency: | Water Infrastructure NSW (WINSW) |
| Related contracts: |
PROJECT HISTORY
| Jul 2014 | The Lachlan Valley Water Security Study was undertaken by WaterNSW identifying a range of different options to improve regional water security. Raising of the Wyangala Dam wall was a key recommendation of the study. |
| Jul 2019 | The NSW and Federal Governments flagged a combined $650 million in funding and financing for the project. |
| Oct 2019 | The NSW Government introduced legislation to fast track water infrastructure projects where there is a critical town water supply need. This legislation will attempt to shorten the approval process for the project. |
| Dec 2019 | WaterNSW issued a Request for Proposal for Delivery Model/Procurement Strategy Advisory Support Services for the project. |
| Jan 2020 | WaterNSW opened Expressions of Interest for a Planning and Development Consultant for the Wyangala Dam Wall Raising. |
| Mar 2020 | WaterNSW announced that Stantec and GHD had been engaged for Engineering Design and Environmental Works. |
| Mar 2020 | A request to prepare the Secretary’s Environmental Assessment Requirements (SEARs) was issued. |
| May 2020 | WaterNSW awarded a joint venture between Aureon and KBR the Portfolio Delivery Management Partner contract. |
| May 2020 | The NSW Government announced $245 million to commence Stage One of both the Dungowan and Wyangala Dam projects. |
| Jun 2020 | WaterNSW opened Expressions of Interest for the main works component. The two part tender involved initial registration of prospective tenders by 16 June. Following the closure of Part A, qualified tenderers were issued Part B which closed on 8 July. |
| Jul 2020 | The NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment issued the Secretary’s Environmental Assessment Requirements (SEARs) to inform the Environmental Impact Statement development (EIS) |
| Sep 2020 | The Federal Government increased its funding commitment to $325 million as part of the National Water Infrastructure Development Fund. This grant funding replaces the previous arrangement, which included concessional loans, agreed with the NSW Government in October 2019. |
| Nov 2020 | The 2020-21 NSW budget included the Wyangala Dam Upgrade in a $245 joint funding allocation for FY 2020-21, together with the Dungowan Dam Replacement and the Upper Mole River Project. |
| Jun 2021 | The 2021-22 NSW Budget allocated a combined $31 million to the Wyangala Dam and Dungowan Dam projects for FY2021-22. |
| Jul 2021 | From 1 July 2021, responsibility for the Wyangala Dam Upgrade project transitioned from WaterNSW to the Department of Planning, Industry and Environment’s Water Infrastructure NSW (WINSW), which is a Division of the Water Group. |
| May 2022 | Infrastructure NSW's 2022 State Infrastructure Strategy recommended the project be re-sequenced to avoid delivery risks caused by complexity and a shortage of skilled labour. The NSW Government will assess the strategy's recommendations before making a decision on their implementation. |
| Jun 2022 | The 2022-23 NSW Budget allocated $9 million to progress early works on the Dungowan and Wyangala Dam Upgrades. |
| Oct 2022 | The 2022-23 October Federal Budget deferred Commonwealth funding for the project, which will be reconsidered once a project business case is completed. The Federal Government had previously committed $325 million in funding. |
| Sep 2023 | The NSW Government confirmed the project would not proceed following completion of the business case. The Government cited ecological impacts and a significantly higher cost as justification for cancellation of the project. |
Estimated Total Cost
(2019)
Sector
Water & Sewerage
Procurement approach
Traditional Procurement |
Unconfirmed |
Location
New South Wales |
National |
Resources
Infrastructure agency resources
Lachlan Water Security InvestigationInfrastructure NSW - re-sequencing recommendation
