Veolia will manage the first municipal and industrial desalination plant of Chile in Valparaíso

Veolia has secured the Operation and Maintenance (O&M) contract for the Aguas Pacífico multipurpose desalination plant in Valparaíso—the first of its kind in Chile (1,000 L/s)—outperforming five major national and international contenders in the tender process.

A global leader in ecological transformation with over 170 years of experience and more than five decades of expertise in operating and maintaining desalination facilities, Veolia stands as the world’s foremost desalination company. The group has designed and constructed 18% of the world’s installed desalination capacity using its own technologies, reinforcing its role as a global benchmark in sustainable water resource management.

" 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. "

Stages and Scope of the O&M Contract

The contract begins with a support phase for the commissioning and start-up of the desalination plant and aqueduct. Once full operational capacity is achieved—producing 1,000 L/s of desalinated water and delivering it to customers across the Valparaíso and Metropolitan Regions—the Operation and Maintenance phase will commence. This phase covers both the desalination plant and the aqueduct, including storage facilities (tanks). Each phase has a duration of up to four years, with the possibility of extensions that could extend the contract through 2040.

The operation of the Aguas Pacífico Desalination Plant will be powered entirely by renewable energy and employ 60% local labor. It will also supply water to Rural Sanitary Services (formerly APR) in Limache and Olmué—areas heavily affected by drought—and incorporate advanced marine intake and outfall technologies to safeguard the ocean environment.