Mining firms BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto are moving ahead on a planned $3.43-billion water-supply project for the Escondida copper mine in Chile's high desert. The upgrade will include the largest seawater reverse-osmosis desalination plant in the Americas, says Black & Veatch, which announced on Oct. 29 its selection as engineer-of-record for die facility and related marine works. The plant is set to produce about 220,000 cu meters of water a day. The two mining firms are the majority owners of Escondida, the world's largest copper mine, located 3,100 m above sea level. Its water-supply project, to be com- missioned in 2017, also includes two pipelines, four high-pressure pump stations, a reservoir and power infrastructure.
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