As a result of the water supply crisis during the severe 1997–2009 drought State governments around Australia began building desalination plants that purify seawater using reverse osmosis technology.
Many of these plants have included in their overall cost the building of renewable energy sources such as wind farms.
A second plant on the Gold Coast began operations in February 2009.
The Kurnell Desalination Plant in Sydney was opened on 28 January 2010.
Commissioned Western Australia South Australia Queensland Offshore Secondary desalination plants, citations[11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19]