Spanish energy and environment company, Abengoa, has been selected by AES Gener to develop its first desalination plant in Chile. The project, located in Mejillones in the Antofagasta region, will supply water to AES Gener's power plant in Angamos.

Abengoa did not reveal the price tag of the project.

Abengoa will be responsible for the engineering, construction and subsequent operation of the desalination plant, which will use a pre-treatment system based on ultrafiltration membranes, as well as two stages of reverse osmosis in order to produce high quality water for use by the thermal power plant, as well as to supply other clients. The plant will have a capacity of 4,800 m3 of water per day, which can be extended to 19,200 m3 in a second phase.

This project will increase Abengoa's desalination capacity to more than 1.4 million m3 per day, equivalent to supplying around eight million people.

Abengoa has been present in Chile since 1987, where it has carried out numerous projects, including what will be Latin America's first solar-thermal power plant, Cerro Dominador, using tower technology and up to 18 hours of energy storage.

Abengoahas built other desalination plants in Latin America, USA, the Arab Emirates, Algeria, Ghana, China, India, Morocco and Spain.

A few days ago, we reported that BMCE Bank has acted as the sole lender supporting a consortium composed of Abengoa Water and InfraMaroc on the financing of a desalination plant in the Moroccan city Agadir.