A new report from Vostock Capital, titled "Desalination Projects Latin America," provides an overview of 23 flagship desalination projects across Chile, Peru, Mexico and Brazil. The report details the most impactful initiatives shaping water security and sustainability in the region, addressing growing water demand driven by mining, agriculture, and urban populations.
Among the featured projects is the El Abra Mill Project in Chile, developed by Freeport-McMoRan and Codelco. With a budget of US $7.5 billion, the project includes a concentrator, a seawater desalination plant, and a pumping system with a capacity of 500 liters per second. In the Coquimbo Region of Chile, the Ministry of Public Works (MOP) is leading a US $350 million desalination plant with a capacity of 1,200 l/s to supply potable water to Coquimbo and La Serena.
In Peru, the Tía María Copper Project, developed by Southern Copper Corp, features a 235 l/s seawater reverse osmosis desalination plant. The US $1.8 billion project will supply water exclusively for mining processes, supported by pumping, storage, and transport infrastructure. Mexico's Los Cabos, Baja California Sur, hosts an US $85 million desalination plant with a capacity of 250 l/s, designed to meet growing water demand sustainably. In Brazil, the Ceará Seawater Desalination Plant, developed by Cagece, is a US $620 million project with a capacity of 1,000 l/s. It will supply potable water to over 720,000 people in Fortaleza, standing as a flagship water resilience project in Brazil's semi-arid northeast.
As part of the 2026 desalination agenda, Vostock Capital will host two exclusive technical site visits in Spain. These visits aim to strengthen expertise in advanced desalination techniques. The first visit, on May 13–14, will be to the AcuaMed Desalination Plant in Murcia. The second, on September 22–23, will be to the ATL Desalination Plant in Llobregat. Participants will gain first-hand insight into operating facilities and cutting-edge processes.
The report emphasizes the critical role of desalination in addressing water scarcity in Latin America, where climate change and population growth are straining water resources. The projects featured represent significant investments in infrastructure, with total budgets reaching billions of dollars. The implications of these projects extend beyond water supply, as they support economic development in mining and agriculture while enhancing resilience to drought.
