Two months later, the desalination plant arrived in Uruguay: it will supply 150,000 people

2023-07-27 21:30:45

Photo: UTEC

The Technological University of Uruguay (UTEC) finally received the desalination plant that took two months to arrive due to a calculation error. In mid-May, the government of Luis Lacalle Pou had announced with great fanfare the acquisition of the system, however, a few days later, the Presidential Secretary, Álvaro Delgado, publicly declared that it was not going to arrive in the short term because did not enter the old planes Hercules that the Uruguayan army recently bought.

“By 15 centimeters apparently it does not enter the Hercules. The first data that they gave of the dimensions, entered. When the company adjusted, that the container was not so standard, by 15 centimeters it does not fit. Therefore, this week, from Houston, the possibility that come by boat”, Delgado told the press at that time.

The desalination plant, designed by UTEC, was located in Houston, Texas (where it was built)and was scheduled to be transferred to Uruguay, where it would be installed and used to alleviate the effects of the severe drought that the region of Montevideo and Canelones has been experiencing for months.

But still can’t get it to work: The technicians from the university will arrive in Montevideo just next week, along with colleagues from the manufacturing company, to start it up. Only the weekend following those days will an official inauguration be possible.

As reported by Obras Sanitarias del Estado (OSE), the plant will be useful far beyond the specific water emergency that we are experiencing. In this sense, they indicated that “it will operate as a mobile power plant that will attend situations of vulnerability such as droughts and floods.” “It will also serve to treat and neutralize any eventuality related to other components of the water,” they added from the agency.

“The area chosen for the initial installation covers the water supply from the Pando toll to Parque del Plata and is supplied from Aguas Corrientes and also of the Laguna del Cisne Power Plant. The water coming from Aguas Corrientes will enter the Plant and will be treated at the UTEC Plant before being pumped to the Gold Coast network (Neptunia, Salinas, Pinamar, etc.)”, they explained.

“The treatment system produces approximately 200,000 liters of demineralized water per day. Its very high quality also allows it to be mixed later with other water sources in the drinking water distribution system and expand production capacity to approximately 300,000 liters of excellent quality water to deliver to the population”, the university states on its website.