Veolia wins desalination contract for Cerro Lindo mine in Peru

French utility giant Veolia has won an operation and maintenance contract for a desalination facility at the Cerro Lindo mine in Peru.

Compañía Minera Milpo is the operator for the mining facility, which is located at the south of Lima in the Ica region on the edge of the Topará River ravine and has stopped using water from the river for its operations.

The mine sources its industrial process water from its own desalination plant in order to alleviate the water stress in the region.

Seawater intake for the water desalination facility is done on the Peruvian coast, with the use of reverse osmosis technology.

The processed water is then transported to the Cerro Lindo site, which is at a distance of 40km and an altitude of 1,850m.

Veolia will be responsible for the facility upgrade which, besides aiming at a 20% increase in its current production capacity, intends to ensure reliability of its operations and compliance with the safety and environmental standards.

The plant presently has a capacity to produce 48l of water per second to meet the Cerro Lindo site’s requirements, which is expected to be increased to 60l from 2016.

Veolia Latin America Zone director Ramon Rebuelta said: "Seawater desalination for process water is a rapidly expanding activity in areas of Latin America suffering from water stress.

"By choosing Veolia, Milpo has confirmed that the Company’s solutions and expertise, especially in the area of water production for the mining industry, are crucial to ensuring high quality, environmentally friendly operations."

---

Image: The plant presently has a capacity to produce 48l/s capacity which is expected to be increased to 60l/s from 2016. Photo: courtesy of Veolia.