The initiative, which seeks to become one of the largest desalination plants in the country for the mining industry, has been awarded the prestigious PFI Awards in the "Americas Infrastructure Deal of the Year" category. This recognition is considered one of the most important worldwide for project finance initiatives.
Aguas Horizonte, founded by Marubeni and Transelec, has been awarded at the PFI Awards in the "Americas Infrastructure Deal of the Year" category for its ambitious desalination project for Codelco's mining operations. This global recognition highlights excellence and innovation in project finance. The award recognizes the work developed by the companies and advisors to achieve the 2023 financial close of the project.
The Aguas Horizonte project aims to build a large-scale desalination plant for mining, providing treated seawater to Codelco's Northern District operations at the Chiquicamata, Radomiro Tomic and Ministro Hales deposits.
Aguas Horizonte's chief executive officer, Alex Miquel, received the award at a ceremony in London and expressed his satisfaction: "We are proud of this recognition, as the company faced difficulties in obtaining financing due to the Covid-19 crisis, inflation and supply chain problems. Thanks to the perseverance and hard work of our partners, shareholders, banks and their advisors, and with the commitment of Codelco, the financing agreement was achieved to develop this project that contributes to a more sustainable mining, with innovative, efficient and sustainable solutions; and to the production of copper, an essential raw material for the decarbonization and electrification of the world economy."
The project.
The desalination plant will be built on the coast, 14 kilometers south of Tocopilla, Antofagasta Region. The works include a water impulsion system that will run more than 160 kilometers with pipes, crossing María Elena to Calama, to deliver the water resource to a reservoir, which will be located in Radomiro Tomic at an altitude of more than 3,000 meters.
It will use reverse osmosis technology and will have an initial capacity of 840 liters per second, expandable to 1,956 liters per second. This innovative approach aligns with Aguas Horizonte's sustainability objectives, reducing the water footprint in mining by replacing inland water in processes.
With a projected lifespan of nearly 30 years, the plant is expected to be operational in the first quarter of 2026, marking a significant milestone in the sustainable development of the mining industry and the region.
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