Currently there are 24 desalination plants in operation in Chile with combined capacity of 8,000 liters per second (l/s), with 75% of production going to the mining industry, according to the country’s desalination association ACADES.
Capacity is expected to increase to 10,000l/s by the end of this year, and could reach 40,000l/s by the end of the decade.Â
Anglo American (LON: AAL) secured on Wednesday a supply agreement to meet almost half the water requirements of its Los Bronces copper mine in Chile with desalinated water from 2025.
The deal with Aguas Pacifico will allow the miner to bring ocean water to Los Bronces’ recirculation systems, with the goal of not drawing fresh water from the area where the mine is located.
In this first phase, the company will use 500 litres per second of desalinated water to cover 45% of […]
London-listed Antofagasta will lower its 2023 production guidance when it reports its third-quarter results later this month, following a delay in the completion of the desalination plant project, which is key to water availability at the Los Pelambres mine in Chile.
The delay in the completion of the plant will impact on the estimated production for next year by about 30Â 000 t.Â
On 15 August severe sea swells overturned a construction platform working on the marine works of the Los Pelambres desalination plant project. There has been no significant environmental impact or damage to the works, and some of the equipment and materials lost have been recovered.Â
However, the swells have continued which have impeded further recovery work and the Chilean environmental authority, the SMA, has required on 9 September that as a precautionary measure marine works should be placed on hold until the clean-up of the remaining sunk equipment carrying fuel or lubricants is progressed such […]
Antofagasta said Chilean authorities had ordered a halt on work at its Los Pelambres desalination plant until equipment lost in a platform collapse last month is recovered.
On August 15 severe sea swells overturned a construction platform at the project. The mining company said there had been no significant environmental impact or damage to the works, and some of the equipment and materials lost have been recovered.
The plant will have a capacity of 1,050 litres a second and is located at Collahuasi’s Patache Port 70km south of the city of Iquique, in the Tarapacá region of Chile.
The project includes maritime works and a pre-treatment system, as well as the development of reverse osmosis and post-treatment technology to guarantee water sources are adjusted to the different operating conditions of CMDIC.
The desalination plant will have an initial capacity of 840 liters per second and the potential to expand to 1,956 l/s and will be located near the northern town of Tocopilla.
The company plans to reduce fresh water consumption by 60% by reusing water from tailings deposits, getting sea water from the desalination plant and improving the efficiency of its operating processes.