Sacyr Water has been awarded the wastewater treatment and distribution P3 contract in Antofagasta, Chile. This contract was tendered by Chile’s Sanitary Services Company, Econssa. Sacyr Water will be the company in charge of maintaining and developing the growth of this activity, located in North Chile.
This project will have an investment of close to US$292 million and will improve the quality of life of Antofagasta’s residents, in addition to supplying water services to different mining companies operating in the region. The concession term for the project is 35 years.
This P3 project is Sacyr’s second contract win in 2025, after the Rutas del Este expansion contract in Paraguay.
New treatment plant
The project has the approval of its Environmental Qualification Resolution of December 2020. This facility’s main function will be to capture pre-treated wastewater from the existing Antofagasta plant, operated by Sacyr Water, and channel it to the Salar del Carmen area, where the new treatment plant will be located, featuring a final capacity of 900 liters per second.
The existing plant supplies treated wastewater, ultrapure water supply, and industrial water supply. The future project, with a focus on recycled water for mining, will substantially improve regional sustainability indexes, in addition to creating more than 500 jobs in the area.
It is expected that the pretreated waters will be transferred along 16 kilometers, to the Salar del Carmen sector, including a 5.4-kilometer section in the urban area that will be executed through micro-tunneling. In addition, an additional 24 kilometers will be built to La Negra and another 24 kilometers to Mantos Blancos.
The new treatment plant is expected to be operational in 2028.
"This plant represents the most significant water reuse project in Latin America and the scope of this P3 project will mark a pioneering trend in water reuse," said Lucas de Marcos, General Manager of Sacyr Water in Chile.
Sacyr has business lines in Chile, with different projects located in 14 of the country's 16 regions: Sacyr Water, Sacyr Concesiones and Sacyr Engineering and Infrastructure.
