Transfer of Liquid Industrial Waste from the San Isidro Power Plant

This project is part of the SDG 6, 9 and 12

The project involves the transport of liquid industrial waste from the San Isidro power plant to be used in other industrial processes, thus allowing to reuse the waste which is currently discharged into the Aconcagua River according to the DS90/00. The project will contribute to the sustainability of the plant and will also bring environmental, social, and economic benefits.

The initiative was originally initiated to help raise awareness and optimize the use of the water resources in the plant´s different industrial processes, in the context of a drought that is affecting Central Chile. The project focuses on using water resources more efficiently, rationally  and in a sustainable way, especially in an area where agriculture and industrial processes must coexist and compete for the resources.

The climate crisis has affected the region, repeatedly declared a zone with  water scarcity by Ministry of Public Works. It has been affected for a long time by a sharp decline and even absence of precipitations, leading to  a dramatic drop in underground flows and aquifers. Coupled with a steady increase in water demand , the situation has triggered diverse  problems both  in water distribution and amount available for different uses.

The San Isidro power plant, which is a combined cycle plant,   requires water to cool its industrial processes which is  done  by cooling towers.  Much of the water used is returned to the atmosphere as steam while another part becomes liquid industrial waste. Previously, these wastewaters were returned to the Aconcagua River, as set forth in the Environmental Qualification Resolution (RCA by its Spanish acronym).

The disposal and reuse of San Isidro´s liquid industrial waste in other industrial processes improves the circularity of the process thanks to the conversion of a residue into the  input for  another process, responding to the circular economy pillar of "New Life Cycles". Thanks to this project, we have obtained, among others, the following benefits:

• A reduction in the use of water from external wells. This water  now has other uses.
• An increased use of water from own wells – with a high concentration of sulfates -  since liquid industrial waste is not discharged into the Aconcagua River, also remediating the available water quality of our own wells since this water will be extracted from the area of the aquifer’s highest concentration naturally  replacing what has been extracted thus decreasing the  concentration of sulfates.
• A reduction of  internal water consumption for cooling purposes.
• A more rational and efficient use of water in the context of the country's drought.

This project has  integrated  innovation and sustainability  under the same purpose also  complying with water conservation  and the plant´s technical performance