What's next for LatAm's biggest desal plant?
The approval of the EIS for the ENAPAC desalination plant in northern Chile is likely to speed up procedures to obtain the remaining permits to start construction of the US$500mn project as well as negotiations with potential clients and financiers.
The project's manager, Rafael Bustos, told BNamericas that one of the permits the project has yet to obtain is a maritime concession from the defense ministry in order to use land along the coast.
"The maritime concession application was presented to the coastal land use committee of Atacama region, which approved it. This is one step towards the armed forces undersecretary [of the defense ministry] giving us definitive approval," Bustos said, adding that the final nod for the permit is expected within two months at the most.
Bustos said that as half the project is located on state-owned land, "we have to request rights of way, for water pipelines and electricity. The request was subject to the environmental qualification resolution [granting the EIS approval].
The ENAPAC consortium, made up of Almar Water Solutions and TRENDS, is also advancing negotiations with potential clients in the mining sector. "We even have letters of intent to purchase water" from mining companies, Bustos said.
In addition, the consortium is in advanced negotiations to obtain financing for the project, which are expected to speed up following the EIS approval.
"There's a second stage that's related to bank financing, and that's a short-term task that we should be beginning shortly," the project manager said.
The project entails the construction of a plant capable of treating up to 2,630l/s of seawater, a 100MW photovoltaic plant to power the plant and a water tank with capacity for 600,000m3 of treated water. Construction is expected to start early 2019 and when completed it will be the largest desalination plant in Latin America.
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