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Kiewit to build Inner Harbor desalination plant in Texas

  • Kiewit to build Inner Harbor desalination plant in Texas

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The City of Corpus Christi, a coastal city in the South Texas region of the U.S. state of Texas, has selected Kiewit Infrastructure South Co. to lead the design and construction of its first-ever desalination facility, the Inner Harbor Seawater Desalination Treatment Plant.

“This is a significant milestone, one of the most important for the community, as it demonstrates our commitment to securing additional water resources for Corpus Christi and the surrounding areas," said City Manager Peter Zanoni.

The desalination plant, with a price tag of $700 million, will be located at the intersection of Nueces Bay Boulevard and West Broadway Street. Once completed, it will have the capacity to generate 30 million gallons of water daily.

Kiewit emerged as the top choice from three finalist firms evaluated by the City’s committee. According to Zanoni, the selection was based on the technical review committee’s assessment of the company’s proposal and interview. "Kiewit stood out for its approach, which included delivering the project on schedule, maintaining budget constraints, and ensuring the facility would be operational from day one," he explained.

The other two contenders for the project were Acciona, a Spanish infrastructure company, and CDM Smith.

Earlier in the week, Zanoni mentioned that city leaders are exploring the possibility of expanding the plant’s capacity beyond 30 million gallons per day. This potential expansion will be reviewed during the design phase.

“The idea of making the plant scalable has been under consideration for some time," Zanoni noted. "As we move forward with the design, we want to ensure that key elements of the plant are prepared for future expansion, so that the plant could produce more water if needed."

The next step for the City is to begin contract negotiations with Kiewit, with the aim of finalizing an agreement by December 3. Should negotiations fail, the City plans to proceed with the next highest-ranking bidder.

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