CAP Gets Green Light to Build Desalination Plant

Chile’s steel and iron producer CAP has secured permission from environmental authorities to set up a $248m desalination plant to support its mining operations in the country.

CAP plans to build the plant at its Cerro Negro Norte iron ore project, which will have an initial desalination capacity of 200l per second with the potential to be expanded to 600l per second depending on water demand.

The desalination project includes the construction of a pumping station and a 120km pipeline to transport the water to the iron ore facilities in Chile’s arid north.

Construction of the plant is expected to begin in December 2010 and will start operations by mid-2012, according to Reuters.