Water. Desalination + reuse
Issue link: https://fhpublishing.uberflip.com/i/827133
C h i l e M A R K e T O P P O R T U N i T i e S Mining New report supports desal The National Productivity Commission of Chile was set up by the government to help reverse a 1.2 per cent average annual decline in mining output over the past 15 years. Led by the renowned Chilean economist Joseph Ramos, it compiled a report that was presented to government in April 2017. The Great Copper Mining in Chile National Productivity Commission report, chapter five, Water and Energy Resources, puts forward several recommendations on desalination for mining, including specifically supporting the case for multi-client projects. It urges developers "to use space in order to take advantage of economies of scale among mining companies of nearby mines for the construction of desalination plants, electricity generation and pipelines." Projects Tenders are live ECONSSA, the state-owned utility that provides drinking water and sanitation services in many regions of Chile, is developing a desalina- tion plant project. Nine consortia of local and international companies are bidding. They are: Acciona Agua and Acciona Ifraestructura; Besalco and Aqualia; Dragados and Tedagua; Ferrovial Agroman and Cadagua; IDE Technologies; Inima and Claro Vincuna; Suez Interna- tional and Degremont; Technicas Reunidas and Initec; and Valoriza and Sadyt. The tender is for an SWRO desalination plant to serve the regions of Caldera, Chañaral, Copiapó, and Tierra Amarilla. The total cost of the project is estimated at $250 million. August is the deadline for bids, and the contract award is expected in Q4 2017. On the industrial side, mining company Codelco in January 2017 called for expressions of interest to build a $1.2 billion project, including marine works, a desalination plant, 160 kilometres of pipeline and pumping equipment, and electrical infrastructure, in Antofagasta region. The people Who's in charge? Juan-Carlos-Latorre "Regulation in Chile is based on consumptive and non- consumptive water rights. The non-consumptive rights are mostly about mining. Mining is by far the biggest investor in desalination. There has been a row between the municipalities and mining companies. So most plants have the double objective of drinking and mining." Juan Carlos Latorre, president of ECONSSA, the Chilean utility with concessions for water supply and sanitary services in many regions, was speaking at GWI Global Water Summit in Madrid, 2017. Oscar Landerretche is chair of Chilean state-owned copper producer Codelco, and has previously called for a new mining policy for Chile. BHP Billiton's $3.43 billion desal project opened at Escondida mine in H1 2017. Water. desalination + reuse June 2017 In Site 19