Barossa Infrastructure Ltd. Information

Barossa Infrastructure Ltd (BIL) is an unlisted public company with capacity to supply 10,000 Megalitres per annum of supplementary irrigation water to viticulture in the Barossa Valley. The initial capacity was 7,000 Megalitres per annum. SA Water provides the connection to the Warren Reservoir, supplemented with water supplied via the Mannum Adelaide Pipeline and Warren Transfer Main, from the River Murray. BIL is required to have River Murray Water Allocations for the water supplied by SA Water. This water comes from Water Access Entitlements, either purchased or in the form of long term leases, and annual Water Allocations purchased on the market. It is the objective of the company to achieve the ownership of about two thirds of average customer demand in the form of High Security Water Access Entitlements (or equivalent). Currently, BIL holds about one quarter of projected demand. The company has also been active in seeking alternative water sources in the interests of sustainability of viticulture in the Barossa. During 2010, in cooperation with The Barossa Council, reuse of treated effluent from Nuriootpa Community Water Management Scheme (CWMS) was commissioned. The water is supplied to a small number of customers along Gomersal Road Tanunda. This represents about 4% of annual use. BIL's customers are shareholders in proportion to their contracted volume of Premium Water (which can be used all year round). The Scheme cost in the year 2000 was approximately $30 million, funded approximately 1/3 by shares and 2/3 by a long term bank loan. The final loan payment of $1.37 million will be paid in July 2016. In addition to usage charges customers pay an annual infrastructure levy. No Government funding financed the Scheme although considerable assistance was provided in negotiation of the necessary permits. From the BIL water year commencing 1 Oct 2015, the Scheme has been expanded to 9,000 Megalitres. This has been achieved by SA Water increasing the capacity of the transfer main to the Warren Reservoir ...