Arizona Advances $5.5B Mexico Desalination Plan

Arizona officials voted to advance a $5.5-billion plan to build a water desalination plant in Mexico as well as a 200-mile pipeline and associated infrastructure as part of a state effort to address its drought-driven water uncertainty. But growing controversy around the plan and the method of implementation threatens to derail the proposal.

A project team led by Israel-based desalination plant operator IDE Technologies is developing the plan, which calls for construction of water intakes and the plant on the Sea of Cortez in Puerto Peñasco, Mexico, plus a series of pumps and a pipeline that would transport drinking water across the U.S. border to a reservoir west of Phoenix.

The Arizona Water Infrastructure Finance Authority would then purchase up to 1 million acre-ft of water per year from the plant. Its board voted 9-0 on Dec. 20 to direct staff to conduct an analysis of IDE’s proposal and make a recommendation on the plan.

IDE says the plant could supply up to 3 million households—more than the 2.6 million households currently in Arizona. It would initially supply less water per year, about 300,000 acre-ft, according to the company.

In its submission to state officials, the company said it has built, owns and operates 450 desalination plants in more than 40 countries. Its desalination plants use a reverse osmosis process to remove salt, bacteria and other impurities from seawater, said IDE, adding that about half the water that enters the plant from the sea becomes fresh drinking water. IDE aims to begin operations at the plant by the end of 2027.

The proposal still requires more review. If authority staff recommend that the board proceed with the plan, a nonbinding term sheet would be negotiated with IDE. The terms would then be subject to a board vote, in addition to required approvals from both the U.S. and Mexico governments.

Weitz Team Wins $50M Sky Harbor Airport Contract

Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport has selected the Weitz Co. to upgrade its Terminal 4 baggage handling system, with construction estimated at $50 million, the firm announced Jan. 5. The contract encompasses preconstruction services and construction in partnership with JSM & Associates.

The contractors plan to modernize the baggage handling system through a phased design and implementation plan. The project’s procurement and design will occur in 2023 and 2024, with construction scheduled to begin in 2024 and completion targeted for 2027.