With Chile’s mining industry providing 20% of the country’s GDP, the demand for water supplies is increasing with a handful of contracts being awarded this summer.
Bloomberg has reported that South Korean company Doosan Heavy Industries & Construction CO. has signed a $103 million deal to build a desalination plant at the Escondida copper mine.
The planned 220,000 ton (622,600 m3/day) facility will supply water from mid-2016 and water produced will be piped 180 kilometers to the copper mine situated 3000 metres above sea level.
Last month WWi reported how a new 2.5 m3/second seawater desalination facility is being built to provide water to BHP Billiton’s Escondida mine in Chile, at an investment of US$1.9 million (see WWi story).
Doosan reportedly secured the contract over competition including France’s Degremont SA and Spanish firm Acciona, it said.
###
Related articles
Solar powered water desalination heats up in Chile Solar powered water desalination has the potential to dramatically increase access to fresh water in many arid locations. As a solar powered desalination plant opens in Chile - what are the challenges faced in scaling this technology up to full commercial operation? And what potential exists globally for the technology?
Unearthing efficient mining water solutions As environmental regulations become more stringent, South American mining companies are facing significant water challenges. Desalinated water is proving a vital source but with mines in Chile and Peru up to 200 kilometres from the coastline, water transport and networks are a major consideration, say Raymond Philippe and Hubert Fleming...
