Desalination investment for copper mining: Barriers and opportunities in Chile

Abstract

Global decarbonisation goals will not be met without a significant increase in the supply of critical minerals. However, there are numerous economic, environmental, social and regulatory barriers which may hinder potential future supplies. This study therefore examines the interlinkages of mineral extraction in the world's largest copper producing nation, Chile. Framed within the context of the mining industry's plans to significantly expand its use of desalination to alleviate water scarcity issues, as well as demands for the sector to leverage its investment in water infrastructure for sustainable development goals, this study identifies the primary barriers and opportunities associated with increased investment and expansion of desalination infrastructure within the Chilean copper mining sector. It applies an inductive, mixed-methods approach to gain cross-sectoral insights from 18 relevant stakeholders over two rounds of surveys, quantitatively determining the relative importance of the issues identified. The analysis finds that desalination's capacity to allow the mining industry to operate independently of freshwater availability, as well its potential role in alleviating broader water scarcity issues were the primary opportunities. The study further finds widespread support for initiatives to integrate renewables into desalination plants, incorporate public acceptance into the planning procedure, and ensure that mining continues to reduce its freshwater consumption, presenting a clear opportunity for sustainable expansion. The results also showed that regulatory and political uncertainty, followed by the lack of public acceptance of desalination are considerable barriers to its expansion. Further, quantitative analysis of perceived risks also highlighted significant disagreement between mining and non-mining stakeholder groups regarding the environmental impacts associated with desalination, indicating an overall lack of consensus. This study therefore invites further research into consensus-building around the issues identified. A further investigation of why particular perspectives are more prevalent among certain stakeholder groups is also suggested.