The project positions seawater infrastructure as a strategic response to intensifying water scarcity across Chile’s Antofagasta Region, where mining operations face mounting constraints on continental water sources. According to Mauricio Raby, Chief Business Officer of Engie Chile, the 6,000 liters per second capacity will enable new project development while supporting continuity of existing operations in strategic industrial sectors. The infrastructure development reflects broader market pressure for sustainable water solutions alongside energy, gas and transmission services in northern Chile.
The Mejillones complex serves as the focal point for multiple Engie Chile reconversion initiatives. The company announced in October 2025 the BESS Lile project, a 140 MW battery storage system with 802 MWh capacity utilizing 160 battery containers and 40 electrical support units. That project, scheduled for second-half 2026 commissioning, repurposes transmission lines, interconnection substations and internal roads originally designed for coal-fired expansion. The system will provide five hours of continuous electricity supply equivalent to serving over 84,000 households.
The complex currently operates five coal-fired generation units. Units 1 and 2 face scheduled disconnection on December 31, 2025, while the Infraestructura Energética Mejillones facility undergoes conversion to natural gas as primary fuel. Central Termoeléctrica Andina and Central Termoeléctrica Hornitos coal units are slated for 2026 closure.
Separately, Aguas Antofagasta and MAE advance a wastewater treatment plant for Mejillones targeting late 2027 construction completion. The facility will process 100 percent of municipal wastewater for supply to MAE’s Volta green ammonia project under a zero-discharge model, eliminating seawater disposal. The Volta project contemplates 600,000 tons per year ammonia production capacity deployed across two 300,000-ton phases.
This article was curated and published as part of our South American energy market coverage.
