Tag Archives: desalination plant

ACCIONA to build seawater desalination plant for Collahuasi in Chile

The mining company Compañía Minera Doña Inés de Collahuasi (CMDIC) has awarded ACCIONA the design and construction of a seawater desalination plant at Collahuasi’s Patache Port, 70 km south of the city of Iquique, in the Tarapacá region of Chile, ACCIONA says.

The project, which is part of the “Infrastructure Development and Productive Capacity Improvement Plan” for CMDIC’s operations in the Tarapacá region, also includes ACCIONA’s operation and maintenance of the plant for two years, with an option to extend for another three years.

The desalination plant at the Patache Port will have an initial capacity of 1,050 liters per second. The project includes the execution of maritime works and a pre-treatment system, as well as the development of reverse osmosis and post-treatment technology to guarantee the availability of water resources, the quality of which must be adjusted to the different operating conditions of the mining company.

CMDIC is one of the major Chilean mining companies engaged in the extraction and production of copper concentrate, as well as one of the largest in the world.

The construction of this new seawater desalination plant consolidates ACCIONA’s position as one of the leading companies in the water treatment business for mining operations in Chile, it says.

IDE Technologies desalination plant to supply fresh water to Aconcagua basin miners

IDE Technologies, a leader in desalination and water treatment, has been awarded a contract to construct a desalination plant by Aguas Pacífico SpA.

The EPC contract for the Aconcagua desalination plant includes the engineering, supply, construction, start-up and commissioning of a seawater reverse osmosis desalination plant with a nominal production capacity of 86,400 cu.m/d located in the bay of Quintero in the Valparaíso Region of Chile.

The plant will be the first drought-proof source of fresh water in the Aconcagua basin to serve municipal, agricultural, industrial and mining clients in the region, IDE says.

Enrique Cruzat, CEO of Aguas Pacífico, said: “IDE presented the best offer both technically and economically to Aguas Pacífico, an investment vehicle of Patria Investments Infrastructure Fund, after the successful conclusion of a highly competitive international tender process for the Aconcagua Project’s EPC contract. Project Aconcagua is the first permanent, secure and sustainable multi-client non-continental fresh water source in Chile’s Valparaíso Region.”

IDE’s experience encompasses hundreds of desalination plants worldwide, with more than 20 successfully operating in Chile since 1990, including the Quebrada Blanca Phase 2 desalination project scheduled to be completed next year.

IDE’s design of the Aconcagua desalination plant will be in accordance with the stringent environmental requirements and regulations in Chile, the company added.

Miki Tramer, VP, Sales and Marketing for IDE, said: “The Aconcagua award is a statement to our decades of experience, and mission to deliver superior results to our clients in the design and construction of desalination facilities in Chile. We look forward to partnering with Aguas Pacífico SpA in other regions of the country that will benefit from this type of multi-client desalination plant.”