Veolia SE (Paris) was awarded the Operation and Maintenance (O&M) contract for the Aguas Pacífico multipurpose desalination plant in Valparaíso, the first in Chile (1,000 L/s), ahead of five leading national and international companies that were part of the tender. Veolia, leader in ecological transformation with more than 170 years of global experience and over 50 years of expertise in the operation and maintenance of desalination plants. As the world leader in desalination, Veolia has designed and built 18% of the global installed desalination capacity using its technologies, reaffirming its position as a benchmark in the sustainable management of water resources worldwide.
“We are very pleased with the transparent and competitive development of this bidding process, which marks a new milestone for Aguas Pacífico. The award to Veolia, a company with a strong national and international track record in the operation of desalination plants, gives us full confidence to guarantee our clients an efficient, safe, and sustainable service, in line with the highest environmental and social standards. This new step allows us to advance in our challenge of combating drought and the effects of climate change in central Chile,” said Javier Moreno Hueyo, General Manager of Aguas Pacífico.
Elier González, CEO of Veolia Chile and Peru, said: ” At Veolia, we are very grateful for the trust placed in us by being selected to operate such an important project as this desalination plant, thus becoming a strategic partner in contributing to water security in the central region in the face of the challenges posed by climate change. We offer Aguas Pacífico all our experience in the operation and maintenance of this type of plant worldwide, which allows us to guarantee high standards of operational efficiency and sustainability. Without a doubt, this contract strengthens our GreenUp strategic plan, which seeks to accelerate ecological transformation through innovative solutions — in this case, in water and energy management. “
The contract begins with a support phase for the commissioning of the plant and the aqueduct, or start-up phase. Once the operational condition is reached—producing 1,000 l/s of desalinated water and transporting it to the final customers in the interior of the Valparaíso Region and the Metropolitan Region—the Operation and Maintenance phase begins for both the desalination plant and the aqueduct and its storage works (tanks). Both phases have a duration of up to 4 years, after which contract extension clauses may apply, potentially extending the contract until 2040.
The operation of the Aguas Pacífico Desalination Plant considers 100% use of renewable energies, 60% local labor, delivery of water to Rural Sanitary Services (formerly APR) in Limache and Olmué affected by the drought, and the use of the most advanced technologies in marine intake and outfall systems to protect the ocean.