Tijuana.- The Baja California government has secured federal funding totaling 800 million pesos to purchase land for a new desalination plant and settle an international lawsuit with Aguas de Rosarito. Víctor Amador Barragán, Secretary for Water Management, Sanitation, and Protection (Seproa), announced the allocation for the formalization of the land purchase and the discontinuation of international arbitration.
The dispute began after a contract cancellation by former governor Jaime Bonilla Valdez, prompting Aguas de Rosarito S.A.P.I, a consortium slated to execute the desalination project, to file a lawsuit under the trade agreement between Mexico and the European Union.
Marco Moreno Mexía, State Finance Secretary, indicated that an agreement with the consortium is imminent, which will conclude the international litigation. He mentioned that details on the restructuring of the project are forthcoming, emphasizing the sensitivity of the ongoing negotiations involving the Mexican state.
The planned facility will be built on the same site initially intended by Aguas de Rosarito, next to a hydroelectric station operated by the Federal Electricity Commission (CFE). Moreno Mexía cited this location as optimal due to existing infrastructure.
Moreover, he revealed that the states of Arizona and California have shown a “real interest” in investing in the project, but priority will be given to addressing local water supply issues in Baja California. The plant is expected to produce one to two cubic meters of desalinated water per second, ensuring water supply to the coastal zone of Baja California for the next decade.
