Construction on one of the largest desalination plants in Latin America will soon break ground to reduce reliance on the dwindling Colorado river.
Nearly a million residents of Tijuana and Playas de Rosarito, Mexico depend on the Colorado River for freshwater — but its reserves are growing increasingly low. On Monday, Mexico’s National Water Commission moved one step closer to opening one of largest desalination plants in Latin America in an effort to ensure residents have access to drinking water, awarding the construction contract to Cox Energy.
Smart Water Magazine reports that the project is expected to produce 2,200 liters of fresh water per second — about 190,000 cubic metres a day — and increase available freshwater in the region by 45%. Construction is set to begin on Aug. 18, one day after signing the contract but nearly three weeks after the project's intended start date of Aug. 1. It is expected to be complete in 2029.
The desalination plant was initially planned as a private-public partnership, but former governor of Baja California Jaime Bonilla canceled the early iteration of the project in 2020. In 2024, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum reintroduced the plant as a public work.
Read the full story, below.
Read the full story: Cox to build the Playas de Rosarito desalination plant, one of Latin America’s largest
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