Greater Western Water’s (GWW) recycled water plant in Melton is set to become the first in the state to deliver recycled water to a data centre.

The Melton Recycled Water Plant (RWP) at Mt Cottrell will supply Amazon Web Services’ (AWS) soon-to-be-built data centre in western Melbourne with recycled water that it will use to cool its data centre.

GWW’s Managing Director Cameron FitzGerald said the announcement followed the release of the Victorian Government’s Industry Water Connection Guide.

The guide is designed to help industrial users of water, like data centres, work more closely with Victorian water corporations to support greater water security. It also serves to clarify how Victoria’s existing, robust regulatory and water planning framework already operates.

“We’re thrilled to announce, alongside AWS, that the Melton Recycled Water Plant (RWP) is expected be the first in Victoria to supply a data centre with recycled water,” he said.

“Planning for the water needs of data centres is part of Greater Western Water’s (GWW) responsibility to deliver reliable, affordable water services for its customers now and into the future, especially as the region grows and the climate dries.

“We know data centres and large industrial users of water are increasingly looking for innovative ways to reduce their environmental footprint, and we’re keen to see more of them follow AWS’ lead in working with us to get connected to recycled water.

“Where recycled water isn’t feasible for direct connection, we can, and are, looking at ways to support large users to contribute to recycled water projects elsewhere in the catchment.”

AWS Head of Infrastructure and Energy Policy, Australia and New Zealand, Matt O’Rourke, said AWS and GWW had taken a collaborative approach to deliver positive outcomes for the community and drive AWS’s ongoing commitment to water stewardship.

“Connecting a data centre to recycled water from day one of operations is a significant first for Victoria and AWS in Australia. Working closely with Greater Western Water to deliver recycled water to our new data centre in Western Melbourne will help preserve millions of litres of drinking water annually for local communities,” he said.

“By investing in the infrastructure to connect our data centre facility to the Melton Recycled Water Plant, we’re further demonstrating our commitment to water stewardship in Australia, and our global water positive goal to return more water than we use in the communities in which we operate.

“We will continue to work closely with GWW to identify opportunities to partner on water replenishment projects in the community as part of AWS’s commitment to return more water to the community and the environment than it uses by 2030.”

The announcement also comes as GWW is preparing to begin the second phase of major upgrades to the recycled water plant at Melton.

Contractor Guidera O’Connor will begin construction on the $70 million project next year.

The upgrades will substantially increase Melton RWP’s capacity and improve recycled water quality, ensuring GWW can continue to support one of Australia’s fastest-growing areas with recycled water for years to come.

For more information about the AWS connection to recycled water from the Melton Recycled Water Plant, you can find the Industry Water Connection Guide here.