The Water Corporation submitted a proposal 'Burrup Peninsula Desalinated Water and Seawater Supplies Project' in May 2001 (Water Corporation, 2001a) to service the requirements of new industrial developments on the Burrup Peninsula. The proposed scheme was designed to supply seawater and desalinated water to the Syntroleum Sweetwater Corporation (Syntroleum) gas to liquids plant, with additional capacity to supply one or possibly two other process plants. The EPA released its report (EPA, 2001) in May 2001 and approval was granted in June 2001 (Ministerial Statement 567) for a 6.5 megalitres per day (ML/d) thermal desalination plant to be located on Syntroleum's lease and for a seawater supply (100 ML/d) and brine discharge (77 ML/d) system.

Inquiry under s46 into a request to upgrade the original proposal to include the provision of water supply to other industrial process plants proposed for the Burrup Peninsula. The proponent estimates the total seawater demand and brine discharge of these plants to be 280 ML/d and 208 ML/d respectively. The proposal also allows for the disposal of industrial wastewater with the brine discharge.