Empresas ICA to build Santa Maria reservoir dam in Sinaloa, Mexico

Mexico-based infrastructure and construction company Empresas ICA has signed a public works contract with the Federal Water Commission of Mexico (Conagua) to construct the Santa Maria reservoir dam.

Valued at Mex$3,989m ($89m), the fixed-term public works contract was awarded through a domestic bidding process.

Planned to be built on the Rio Baluarte in Rosario, Sinaloa, the Santa Maria dam will supply water primarily for agricultural use in Sinaloa.

Empresas ICA CEO Alonso Quintana said: "The Santa Maria dam project builds on ICA’s demonstrated expertise and long tradition of building dams and hydroelectric projects.

"We look forward to aiding in the development of the southern part of Sinaloa."

The project is expected to be completed in January 2018.

The 120m-high and 784m-long dam will have a total storage capacity of around 980 million cubic metres of water.

According to estimates, the dam will be sufficient to irrigate around 24,000ha of farmland in the municipalities of Rosario and Escuinapa.

In November 2014, the company secured an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract for a new deepwater technology centre for the Mexican Petroleum Institute (IMP) in Boca del Rio, Veracruz.

Scheduled for completion in November 2015, the centre will involve 24,600m² of construction on a 20.9ha site.