Venezuelan oil firm ups desalination to offset drought

Amid a persistent severe drought, Venezuelan state oil company PDVSA’s Paraguaná refinery has upgraded its desalination facility to increase output by a third following investment in plant of some US$ 250 million.

After the upgrade the plant will produce desalinated water at close to 70 Ml/d according to a statement from Falcón state where the plant is sited. The plant, in the Punta Cardón district in the Carirubana municipality, is producing desalinated produced water for human consumption.

Northern and northwestern Venezuelan states, including Falcón, Vargas, Zulia, and Apure, been gripped by drought conditions for nearly two years. In response the government has been planning for additional desalination capacity – backed by technical and financial support from China – in Falcón’s Los Taques municipality and other coastal areas.