The project “Atacama Sea Water Desalination Plant” promoted by ECONSSA, has been awarded by the AIC Association of Engineering Consulting Companies of Chile A.G. as one of the 5 most outstanding projects of 2019 in the Annual Engineering Survey 2020 in the Hydraulic Project category, due to its importance and contribution to the economic and social development of the region and the country.
ECOAGUA has been and continues to be an important agent in the materialization of the project, accompanying ECONSSA as Technical Assistance from the international tender process in the EPC modality, during which ECOAGUA prepared all the tender documentation (Technical and Administrative Bases, Instructions to bidders, bid evaluation methodology, etc.) and carried out the technical analysis and evaluation of the bids submitted. The project was awarded to the INIMA-CVV consortium, formed by the Spanish GS INIMA and the local group Claro Vicuña Valenzuela in October 2017.
ECOAGUA continued to participate in the project as counterpart in the plant engineering design, reviewing and approving all engineering deliverables prepared by the contractor.
The works began to be carried out on January 2, 2018 and the operational tests are expected to be carried out in August 2020, with a construction period of 30 months. Although the production capacity in this first stage is 450 l/s, the detailed engineering and a large part of the infrastructure to be delivered in this initial phase will remain operational for the final production of 1200 l/s. Therefore, in case of new needs, the expansion of the plant would require a low investment and a short execution period.
ECOAGUA is currently developing Technical Assistance to ECONSSA during the commissioning of the plant, after having also provided assistance during construction and assembly.