09 December, 2025
Synergies assisted Sunwater with the development of the Detailed Business Case for the Burdekin Falls Dam Improvement and Raising project. In addition to assessing the service needs underpinning the project, the analysis involved undertaking a cost-benefit analysis of the reference project options in accordance with the Business Case Development Framework and providing further assistance to Sunwater, including assessing potential scenarios under which the raising of the Burdekin Falls Dam may be economically feasible.
The Burdekin Falls Dam Improvement and Raising project involves upgrades to the dam to meeting regulatory requirements under the ANCOLD Dam Safety Regulations and the potential two-metre raising of the dam to supply an additional 150,000 ML (Medium Priority-equivalent) of water to meet future urban, industrial, and agricultural water demands in the Burdekin region.
Synergies was engaged by Sunwater to provide assistance with the development of several components of the Detailed Business Case (DBC) as required under the Business Case Development Framework (BCDF).
The application of the BCDF to regional bulk water infrastructure projects can be challenging given the long-lived nature of these assets and the significant uncertainty that can exist in relation to non-urban water demand. This can be demonstrated by the fact that several bulk water storages support major industrial activities throughout Queensland (e.g. coal mining, critical mineral production, electricity generation), most of which were not considered as part of the original feasibility assessments of the bulk water supply infrastructure.
While stakeholder consultation undertaken as part of the service need assessment for the DBC identified green hydrogen production at Townsville or Abbot Point as a potential source of significant future water demand from Burdekin Falls Dam, the requirements under the BCDF meant that this demand source could not be considered in the service need assessment or cost-benefit analysis of the project options. The largescale irrigation of various feedstocks for Sustainable Aviatiion Fuel (SAF) was also identified as a potentially significant source of agriculturakl water denand.
Hence, the service need assessment and cost-benefit analysis was limited to the more certain industrial, agricultural and urban water demands identified in the analysis, including water demand for sugarcane and horticulture production, industrial demand for coal mining in the northern Bowen Basin, and urban water demand in the Townsville and Burdekin Shire LGAs.
The DBC also included a robust economic analysis of the dam safety benefits derived from the improvements works required to meet ANCOLD dam safety standards.
Subsequent to the completion of the DBC, Synergies undertook further analysis to assist Sunwater in relation to the communication of the outcomes of the DBC to Queensland Government and other stakeholders.
This analysis involved developing various long-term scenarios in relation to agricultural and urban water demand and assessing the economic feasibility of the raising of Burdekin Falls Dam. The scenarios involved the following demand projections:
Synergies also undertook a comparative assessment of the raising of Burdekin Falls Dam against other largescale bulk water projects in the Burdekin Basin (i.e. Hells Gates Dam, Big Rocks Weir, Urannah Dam), to demonstrate that the Burdekin Falls Dam Raising:
Synergies’ services to Sunwater in relation to the Burdekin Falls Dam Improvement and Raising project included the delivery of a robust service need assessment and economic analysis, consistent with the Queensland Government’s Business Case Development Framework, in addition to providing additional advice to assist Sunwater in its communications with government and other stakeholders.
The scenario analysis undertaken on the economic feasibility of the raising project under various long-term water demand scenarios provides Sunwater with important information regarding triggers for the project’s economic feasibility, which can be factored into future strategic planning and project assessments in the Burdekin Basin.
To find out more about this project and how Synergies can assist you, send an email to: contactus@synergies.com.au