Acciona to perform extension works at Chilean desalination plant

Acciona has secured a contract from the Compania Minera del Pacifico (CAP Group) to perform extension works at a desalination plant in Chile.

Under the terms of the deal, Acciona will carry out water conduits and concentrate project works related to the Minero Cerro Negro Norte project in the Copiapo Valley, in Chile’s Atacama Region III.

The company has agreed to develop solutions for the iron concentrate and transport system from the CNN mining facility to the filtering plant, at the Punta Totoralillo Port, through a concentrate pipe.

The firm will provide water for the mining operations through a steel pipeline and a pumping-in series system from the desalination plant on the coast.

Last March, Acciona secured a contract for the same plant to design, build and provide services and operations for 20 years.

Valued at about $143m, the desalination plant will be built near the Punta Totoralillo Port in Atacama, and is expected to begin operations in 2013.

The plant, which uses reverse osmosis technology, will have an initial capacity of 200l a second and produce up to 600l every second.

The project enables Acciona Agua to further expand its water treatment activity for mining operations.

Acciona Agua’s recently secured contracts in Latin America include the Atotonilco waste water treatment plant (WWTP); the Peravia water treatment plant and Multiple Aqueduct, and a technical assistance and maintenance contract for Brazil’s Arrrudas water treatment plant.

Acciona Agua also received two contracts in Peru, to build, design and operations and maintenance contract for the Escalerilla WWTP in Arequipa, as well as the Chira WWTP, south of Lima.

Spain-based Acciona is engaged in civil engineering, construction and infrastructure.