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Project approved in Chile transforms Pacific water into a strategic resource to supply cities, industries, and mining companies in Atacama, a region marked by water scarcity and large copper-related operations.
On May 4, 2026, Chile approved the Aguas Marítimas project, a US$5 billion undertaking that plans to capture 1.685 million cubic meters of Pacific Ocean water per day in Caleta Bolfín, in the north of the country, to produce desalinated water and transport it to urban, industrial, and mining areas in the Antofagasta region.
The initiative, presented by Cramsa Infraestructura SpA, received unanimous approval from the Antofagasta Environmental Assessment Commission after more than four years of processing in the Chilean Environmental Impact Assessment System.
The plant was announced as the largest desalination plant in Chile and one of the largest in Latin America.
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When it reaches its full projected capacity, it is expected to produce 700,000 cubic meters of desalinated water per day.
The project also foresees an initial phase of 350,000 cubic meters daily and an estimated operational life of 70 years, with operations scheduled to begin in the first half of 2029.
The project’s location helps explain its relevance to the Chilean water sector.
The Atacama, in the north of the country, is among the most arid regions in the world, with areas where rain is rare and the availability of continental water imposes limits on cities, agricultural activities, and industrial operations.
In this context, desalination projects have become part of supply planning in regions with water scarcity and a strong mining presence.
Desalination in Atacama: how the sea becomes useful water
Aguas Marítimas foresees a plant based on reverse osmosis, a technology where seawater is pressed against semi-permeable membranes.
These membranes allow water molecules to pass through and retain a large part of dissolved salts, as well as other compounds.
The method is widely used in large-scale desalination systems but requires energy, pre-treatment structures, and technical control of the saline reject produced in the process.
In the Chilean case, the project’s dimension is directly linked to the projected volumes.
To deliver 700,000 cubic meters of treated water daily, the plant is expected to capture 1.685 million cubic meters of seawater per day and return to the ocean about 985,000 cubic meters daily of reject water, known as brine.
This byproduct has a higher salt concentration than seawater and is usually carefully evaluated in environmental processes of large desalination plants.
After treatment, the water will be transported through a system of approximately 480 kilometers, with pumping stations, electrical transmission lines, and substations.
The infrastructure is expected to serve sectors such as Antofagasta Norte, La Negra, Calama, and Sierra Gorda, with planned uses for mining, industry, agriculture, and, eventually, human consumption through concessionary companies.
Mining in Chile and demand for seawater
The Antofagasta region concentrates a significant part of Chilean copper mining and is part of the hub of large industrial operations that depend on water at different stages of production.
The resource is used in processes such as mineral processing, pulp transportation, cooling, cleaning, and auxiliary activities.
At the same time, the supply of fresh water in northern Chile is limited by natural arid conditions and competition among different uses.
Data from the Chilean Copper Commission indicate that seawater is expected to increase its participation in the mining water matrix in the coming years.
According to Cochilco, the share of seawater in total copper mining consumption could increase from 40.7% in 2024 to 67.6% in 2034.
The study also projects an increase in the sector’s total water demand, from 18.5 m³/s to 20.6 m³/s in the same period.
This movement helps explain why a plant installed on the coast can be planned as part of the inland supply infrastructure.
Instead of increasing pressure on sensitive aquifers, rivers, or basins, the project proposes using the Pacific as a raw source.
The next stage depends on transport engineering, as desalinated water needs to overcome distance, elevation, and energy demand to reach urban and mining centers in the desert.
Environmental impacts of brine and ocean intake
Environmental approval authorizes the project’s advancement but does not eliminate the need for monitoring.
In projects of this scale, the main evaluation points usually involve seawater intake, which can affect small marine organisms, and the return of brine, which needs to be diluted and dispersed according to technical parameters.
Studies on reverse osmosis desalination indicate that the impacts associated with intake and discharge systems depend on the project design, location, and oceanographic conditions.
During the processing, Cramsa requested a temporary suspension of the process in December 2025 to conduct additional studies on the chinchilla lanígera, an endangered species identified in the project’s area of influence.
The evaluation resumed in February 2026.
The process also included citizen participation activities organized by the Environmental Assessment Service in the Antofagasta region.
The company reported that the initiative aims to contribute to reducing regional water scarcity by allowing industries and mining companies near the pipeline route to request desalinated industrial water supply.
The proposal, according to project documentation and public statements by the company, is to transform seawater into a resource available for economic activities and services in areas where continental supply is restricted.
Timeline of Chile’s largest desalination plant
The timeline cited in the process foresees the start of works in the first half of 2027 and completion in the first half of 2032.
Operation, however, may begin before the full completion of construction, in the first half of 2029.
At the peak of construction, the estimated number reported is about 8,500 workers per day.
In the operational phase, the daily labor requirement is expected to drop to approximately 200 people.
The approval of Aguas Marítimas was also registered as a significant milestone within the Chilean environmental system.
According to data cited by the local press from the Environmental Assessment Service, it is the largest investment project approved since 2018, the year in which Teck’s Quebrada Blanca expansion received approval.
In the same session, the Environmental Assessment Commission of Antofagasta approved three other projects, totaling US$ 341 million.
With the environmental license approved, the next stage involves preparing the works, supply contracts, and organizing the necessary infrastructure to capture, treat, and transport the water.
The planned operation combines desalination technology, long-distance pumping, and integration with industrial areas located in one of the continent’s driest zones.
Water will exit the Pacific, pass through membranes, lose salt, gain pressure, and travel through pipelines to cities, industrial centers, and mines in northern Chile.
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