Two major desalination projects to support the copper mining industry in Chile are moving ahead, reports Reuters.
BHP Billiton is in talks with a consortium of Japan’s Mitsui & Co, and Grupo Cobra, of Spain, to build a desalination plant at Spence copper mine in Chile.
A proposal to expand the mine in Chile’s Atacama desert was approved by the country’s environmental regulator SEA, in July 2017. The expansion includes an $800 million seawater desalination plant at Mejillones port, about 60 kilometres north of Antofagasta City on the South Pacific coast.
Meanwhile Chilean state-owned copper producer Coldeco has identified a shortlist of bidders for its $1.2 billion desalination plant in Antofagasta, and aims to award a contract by the end of 2017. The news emerged at Reuters Latin American Investment Summit, 7 to 11 August 2017.
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