Approved in October 2023, PAO includes expanding desalination capacity to ensure over 90% of water used comes from the sea or recirculation. It also involves constructing a new concentrate transport system. Upon its operation start in 2027, the project will stop using water from the Choapa River for operations.
The mountainous environment of the region and the particularities of the project - such as the installation within 3 tunnels of up to 3km long and narrow RoW restrictions - make the construction strategy very challenging.
