Chile is a country with a long shoreline and a scarcity of fresh
water in the regions where most of the mining activity is
developed.1 Therefore, desalinization appears as the
perfect solution to meet the rising demand for water, especially in
the mining industry. Chile currently has 24 desalinization plants
operating, with a combined capacity of 8,000 liters per second. As
per the Chilean Copper Council (Cochilco), by the year 2033, 71% of
the water used for the mining of copper shall be desalinated water.
To meet that demand (plus the demand of desalinated water for other
uses), several desalinization plants will have to be built in the
coming years.
However, Chile does not have a comprehensive regulatory
framework for desalinization. This creates a degree of uncertainty
for investors, which could potentially obstruct the development of
the industry. Furthermore, the lack of regulation and the ensuing
uncertainty affect third-party project developers' ability
