U.S.A. – The Santa Barbara City Council has accepted a $10 million grant in exchange for agreeing to run the Charles E. Meyer desalination plant at full capacity for at least 36 out of the next 40 years. The city was awarded the grant in 2018 from the California Department of Water Resources for the reactivation of the plant. If the city does not comply with the terms of the funding agreement, it may be obligated to repay the grant funding – with interest – to the state. The city plans to create a reserve fund to pay back the grant in case it does not use the desalination plant for 36 out of the next 40 years. A Water Supply Development Fee paid to the city from the Montecito Water District, as part of its deal to use desalinated water from the city, will be used to fund the reserve. The first payment will be made in the amount of $237,500. (Noozhawk)
CHILE – Aguas Antofagasta has completed the construction of the new Tocopilla Desalination plant and initiated the trial and tuning period. The plant, located in northern Chile, took three years to build and cost $46 million. During the trial run, necessary adjustments will be made to the operation, so the plant can run at its maximum capacity of 6,480 m3/d. The plant’s trial run period will last until the end of August when the official launch will take place. (BNamericas)
Teck Resources is resuming construction works on its $5.2 billion project, Quebrada Blanca Phase 2, in the Tarapaca region in northern Chile. The project includes a desalination plant, which is delayed by one year according to copper commission Cochilco and is now expected to be ready in 2023. The desalination facility will have an initial production capacity of 73,440 m3/d, which could later be expanded to 112,320 m3/d.
Completion of Antofagasta Minerals’ Los Pelambres expansion project, which started in February 2019, has been delayed due to suspension of works in response to the health crisis. The expansion project includes a 34,560 m3/d desalination plant, which was progressing on schedule prior to the pandemic. Antofagasta has not announced a restart date yet. (BNamericas)
Codelco has reactivated the tender process for a $1 billion desalination plant to supply the Chuquicamata, Radomiro Tomic and Ministro Hales mines and all its facilities in Calama. The desalination facility will have a capacity of 72,576 m3/d and can potentially be expanded to 168,998 m3/d. The plant launch was planned for 2022, but due to the pandemic will be delayed to 2023. (BNamericas)
ISRAEL – Israel’s Finance Ministry stated that five groups have bid in a tender to build a new desalination plant in northern Israel, along the Mediterranean coast. Preliminary bids to build the 273,972 m3/d plant came from groups including IDE Technologies, Hutchison Water, Tedagua and Acciona. The new facility could also pump fresh water into the Sea of Galilee if its levels drop too low. (Reuters)
Huntington Beach. California Credit: Julie Leopo, Voice of OC
U.S.A. – A decision on the proposed Huntington Beach desalination project has been postponed to September 17, by state regional water officials. The delay comes after Santa Ana Regional Water Quality Control Agency staff agreed to revise the permit agreement with Poseidon to include requirements for the company to perform additional environmental restoration to compensate for the plant’s damage, instead of mere preservation. (Voice of OC)