AES Gener is studying the development of new desalination projects
The Operations’s Vice President said that initiatives could be medium and large size. The desalination contract that AES Gener signed with the Spanish Abengoa, a little over a week ago, would not be the first and only initiative that the company will push in that direction.
This was stated by the Operations’s Vice President of the generator company, Javier Giorgio, who said that “in our future plans include developing other desalination plants, which should not necessarily be in one of our plants”.
In that line, he said the company is studying the possibility of developing large and medium size desalination projects where the position of the company as generator company may mean a significant competitive advantage.
In late June, the company signed its first desalination contract for its Angamos Plant, located in Mejillones, in the Antofagasta Region. Under this agreement, Abengoa shall develop, build and operate the desalination plant which will have a capacity of 4,800 m³ /d, expandable in a second phase to 19,200 m³ /d.
Giorgio explained that the contract only considered Phase I of the project, which already has all environmental permits, for which term development considered within 12 months from the time the order to begin the construction work is given.
Also he explained that given the volume of maximum production which manages the project, is evaluating the possibility of supplying water to industrial customers in the area of Mejillones and surroundings, as well as the delivery of the resource to mining operations whose water requirements conform the initiative.
AES Gener expects the start up of the new desalination plant, whose investment is around U.S. $ 26 million-is realized by the end of next year.
AES Gener is the second largest power generator in the country with operations in the Central Interconnected System (SIC) and North Interconnected System (SING). It also has presence in Colombia and Argentina.
Source: La Tercera
