Mayor Kiko Munro Lays the Foundation Stone for a Seawater Desalination Plant in Puerto Peñasco

Mayor Kiko Munro laid the first stone for the construction of the first seawater desalination plant in Puerto Peñasco, an act that he described as a historic, fundamental, and momentous achievement.

Accompanied by Francisco Muñiz, from construction company Awasa and GBT, Javier Franco, Technical Director of Oomapas, the Procurator Trustee, Perla Alcántara, and the Municipal Treasurer, Maritza Montijo, the President of Puerto Peñasco announced that for this long-awaited and necessary work, 96 million pesos will be invested, in a Public-Private Alliance (APP) partnership which has been approved by the State Congress.

He highlighted that it is the second government strategy financed through PPP, because Puerto Peñasco was the first to use this partnership to modernize the city’s public lighting, given that the Federal Government has “sequestered” the resources for works at the municipal level.

With this desalination plant, he stressed, old infrastructure and supply problems of the vital liquid will be addressed, and will also promote development of Puerto Peñasco, since an alternative to extracting water from the wells will give the area much more stability for the future, given that the aquifers have been slowly depleted for years.

He explained that 480 liters per second of water are currently extracted from the wells, providing water to about 98% of the city, but it has become imperative to look at another source of water supply due to the reducing levels and contamination of water pumped from the groundwater table.

“Once again we fulfill a commitment and we show that when you want to solve a problem, you can. It was not easy, and we have worked for the last five years to achieve it, with true teamwork, with a 100% commitment to improve the quality of life of the people of Puerto Peñasco”, he emphasized.

Kiko Munro explained that the desalination plant is being built in advanced facilities, in an area of ​​9,300 square meters in the area of Las Conchas owned by the City Council, and with it the quantity and quality of water supplied to Puerto Peñasco will increase substantially.

With this investment of 96 million pesos in a first stage, he added, 20 liters per second of desalinated water will be produced. Because the plant is being built in a modular way, it can be expanded and it is estimated that it will benefit 22 thousand people in the future.

He specified that, according to the signed contract, the companies winning the bids will take approximately one year to build and equip the plant, and then they will operate it for a period of 19 years.

“In this way, with quality water, with more lighting, more pavement, remediation of the sanitary landfill, beautifying public spaces, as well as other actions in Puerto Peñasco, progress has been very noticeable and will continue to be noticed,” said Kiko Munro.

For his part, Francisco Muñiz, from the Awasa and GBT Construction Company, communicated that this is a very important day for Puerto Peñasco and the commitment of the companies in charge of this desalination plant is great, with plans to develop the project, in accordance with the law and total transparency. He explained that the most modern technology and energy efficiency processes will be used in the seawater desalination process, with 100% automation to guarantee the operation and maintenance of the plant.

He stressed that it is an environmentally friendly project which will comply with both national and international legal guidelines. The project is being completed by 100% Mexican companies, with Mexican technicians, who will rely many local workers and suppliers of Puerto Peñasco to help provide work, machinery, materials, and supplies.

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