Aquasure - a consortium formed by Macquarie, Degremont and Thiess - won the concession to finance, build, maintain and operate the A$5.72 billion Victorian Desalination plant under a public-private partnership initiative known as Partnerships Victoria. Financing took place during the period of the global financial crisis and there was a subsequent political backlash.

The growth of Hyflux Limited (Hyflux) required it to become more financially sophisticated. As part of its “asset-light” funding strategy – optimising the use of capital by realising asset values early to keep a lean balance sheet - Hyflux spun off 13 water plants to a business trust, Hyflux Water Trust (HWT).