Planning approval granted for desalination plant, pipeline – Australia This week, the New South Wales Government approved Hunter Water‘ s plans for a desalination plant at Belmont as a drought response measure. The plans are a reaction to water storage levels in the Lower Hunter, which recently reached its lowest point in nearly 40 years. The plant is designed to produce up to 30 million L of drinking water per day in response to drought. (LINK). HIWI042021-08-04T10:04:37+02:00