The Federal Opposition has promised to allocate $71 million for a pipeline to the Western Sydney Airport for easier transport of aviation fuel.
The investment would aim to secure reliable fuel supplies for the airport without adding to traffic congestion on Sydney’s already clogged roads.
The New South Wales Government is currently undertaking work to identify route options for the pipeline.
Western Sydney Airport will open in 2026 and be a catalyst for massive job growth in aviation and related industries.
Infrastructure Australia has calculated that without a pipeline, the airport would require up to 65 B-double tankers to deliver fuel each day when it reaches full capacity.
Furthermore, Deloitte modelling found the cost of using these tankers, including the damage to local roads, would be $140 million over a 25-year period, double the cost of building the fuel pipeline which the same report identified as the most cost effective way of meeting the Airport’s fuel needs.
Without the pipeline, the new airport would require dozens of trucks passing through Western Sydney suburbs to deliver fuel.
The ALP said it would work with the NSW Government to finalise plans for a pipeline and deliver the $71 million construction cost via an equity injection into the Western Sydney Airport Corporation.
Labor accused the Federal Coalition Government of not yet committing to a pipeline.
I know Labor is promising to spend money like a drunken sailor, but $71 billion is just a tad high don’t you think?