Mexico’s only desal plant project sees construction start after long delay

Los Cabos water utility Oomsapas in Mexico’s Baja California Sur state has resumed its plan to build a second desalination plant more than a year after having awarded the contract through a public-private partnership.

Construction began last week and the long delay was due to opposition to the project that was politically motivated, Mexican news outlet La Jornada reported Los Cabos mayor Óscar Leggs Castro as saying.

It is the only desalination plant currently being built in the country and the works were supposed to have started in July last year, along with a 1.3bn-peso project to improve Cabo San Lucas’s water distribution system.

A consortium made up of La Peninsular Compañía Constructora and Acciona Agua holds the 25-year concession contract to design, build, operate and maintain the plant, with construction expected to take two years.

The plant will have a reverse osmosis treatment train and a capacity of 250l/s.