Sydney Water expects the Quakers Hill water resource recovery facility to reach capacity in 2028. Construction of the main upgrade is expected to run from mid-2027 to mid-2029, which leaves the project with little room for delay.
Four packages, one main contract
The upgrade is split into four packages: demolition and earthworks, a high-voltage supply upgrade, the main works and a brine pipeline. The main works, Package C, cover a secondary treatment expansion and a new advanced water treatment plant using ultrafiltration and reverse osmosis, and are being procured as a single design-and-construct contract. A registration of interest for Package C opened in July 2025. No award had been made public by October 2026. Timing matters because Sydney Water's delivery capacity is already stretched: it delivered A$2,466 million of capital in FY 2024-25, 84% of its A$2,940 million target.
What the plant is meant to deliver
The advanced treatment plant is planned to reach 20 ML a day by 2030 and 48 ML a day by 2036. A new brine pipeline will run from the site to the Northern Suburbs Ocean Outfall Sewer at Seven Hills.
Why the site matters beyond 2028
Quakers Hill is also the starting point for Sydney Water's proposed purified recycled water scheme, which would send treated water to Prospect Reservoir. Sydney Water says purified recycled water could meet up to 25% of Greater Sydney's needs by 2056.
How suppliers can reach the main works, which equipment categories are most exposed, and what to watch as the award approaches are set out in the report's Opportunity Register and Watch List. The full report, Sydney Water: Utility Account Brief, is available for USD 499 at https://ourfuturewaterintelligence.com/reports/sydney-water-utility-account-brief. For a free overview, read the Sydney Water Utility Snapshot at https://ourfuturewaterintelligence.com/utilities/sydney-water.