en.Wedoany.com Reported - Exponor 2026 will focus on mining seawater desalination and water-saving technologies, as well as sustainable production solutions. The exhibition is scheduled to take place from June 8 to 11 in Antofagasta, Chile, with Chilean Mining serving as the official media. Marko Razmilic, President of the Antofagasta Industrial Association (AIA), the event organizer, stated that Antofagasta leads the nation in desalination plant development, reflecting local achievements in water use efficiency and resource management. The mining industry is accelerating its transition towards more sustainable solutions, and Exponor serves as a platform to showcase how innovation and technology can address the sector's key challenges.
Montserrat Pastor, Environmental Manager at Antofagasta Minerals, pointed out that the company is driving a transformation of the water resource structure in Chilean mining. In the Antofagasta Region, the Antucoya mine has achieved 100% seawater usage, and the Centinela mine also uses seawater, pioneering the use of thickened tailings technology to improve water recovery rates. The Zaldívar mine is also transitioning to new water sources, aiming to extend its operational life until 2051, reflecting the balance between innovation, development, and environmental protection in mining.
Currently, the Antofagasta and Tarapacá regions concentrate Chile's most important mining desalination projects. These include BHP's Escondida Water Supply (EWS, commissioned in 2018), the Spence Growth Option project (supplying the Spence mine entirely with desalinated water since 2021), and Teck's Quebrada Blanca Phase 2 project, which is equipped with a desalination plant to supply water for operations in the Tarapacá Region. Quebrada Blanca is the first mine in Tarapacá to use 100% desalinated seawater in all its production processes, with water transported via pipeline from the port to the mountains at a treatment capacity of 1,000 liters per second, and it has returned all its water rights to the state.
Furthermore, Codelco's "Water Horizon" project is under construction and will supply water to Chuquicamata, Ministro Hales, and Radomiro Tomic. Collahuasi is building a new desalination plant at the Patache port, and Antofagasta Minerals is also expanding desalination facilities in the Centinela district. The El Abra mine recently submitted an environmental impact assessment, planning a US$7.5 billion investment to build a desalination plant and seawater lifting system to extend the mine's life by 40 years.
The development of desalination is accompanied by optimized water resource utilization. Currently, Chilean mining concentrates over 80% of the country's desalination capacity, and approximately 73% of wastewater is reused. Mines also employ technologies such as real-time monitoring, artificial intelligence, and circulation systems to enhance water use efficiency.
This article is compiled by Wedoany. All AI citations must indicate the source as "Wedoany". If there is any infringement or other issues, please notify us promptly, and we will modify or delete it accordingly. Email: news@wedoany.com
