The project’s goal is to reduce the unit consumption of continental water by 60% at the Chuquicamata, Radomiro Tomic and Ministro Hales divisions. The bidding date was cancelled in December 2019 to adjust the project to the new mining plan definitions and ensure compliance with probity and transparency standards. The execution of the project is in charge of Marubeni Corporation and Transelec and will have a BOOT (Build, Own, Operate and Transfer) type business model, i.e., the consortium will build, own and operate the plant, and then transfer it to Codelco.
Industria Proyecto: Water & Desalination
Desalination Plant and Water Supply Cerro Colorado
The objective of the project is to supply water resources for the continuity of the Cerro Colorado mining site through the installation of a seawater collection, conduction and desalination system. Currently, the Environmental Court of Santiago approved the environmental assessment process for the project.
On January 7th 2020 the status of the environmental processing of the Cerro Colorado Water Supply Environmental Impact Study was consulted, but there is still no concrete response.
Quebrada Blanca Desalination Plant
The Quebrada Blanca Phase 2 (QB2) project is a mining process that, in addition to producing more than 300 thousand tons of copper per year, combines a water desalination plant that will have an industrial water process. Its objective is to extend the useful life of the current deposit and it is designed to use desalinated seawater in all production processes. It is expected to become the second largest seawater desalination plant in Chile.