Mexico to begin construction of US$840 million desalination plant in Baja California

The Mexican government is set to begin construction of the Playas de Rosarito desalination plant at the end of March, marking a key step in Baja California’s efforts to expand its water supply, reports BNAmericas. The project is part of the region’s water infrastructure plan and involves a combined investment of over 14.6 billion pesos (approximately US$840 million) from both federal and state sources, according to Efraín Morales, the general director of the National Water Commission (Conagua).

The desalination plant, expected to be the largest and most modern of its kind in Latin America, will have a production capacity of 2,200 liters per second. This will boost the water supply by up to 45% for the cities of Tijuana and Playas de Rosarito. Morales stated that while Conagua will oversee the plant’s construction, the state government will manage the distribution infrastructure.

In addition to the desalination plant, the federal government is advancing the modernisation of Irrigation District 014 Río Colorado, investing 5 billion pesos to modernise over 10,000 hectares of agricultural land. This effort aims to recover up to 30% of the water used in irrigation, with some of it redirected for human consumption. The modernisation program is scheduled to be completed in 2028.

“This work is going to start at the end of March, beginning of April, already with construction. We have already carried out very important work for the projects. And it will be completed in 2029,” Morales said.

Furthermore, the Social Infrastructure Fund (FAIS) has allocated 340 million pesos in 2025 to 122 water, sewage, and sanitation projects across Baja California’s seven municipalities. This initiative will continue in 2026, focusing on improving water access in neighborhoods with higher needs.

Overall, federal and state investments in hydraulic infrastructure for Baja California exceed 16.7 billion pesos, as noted by Morales.

The revival of the Rosarito desalination project has received federal support since November 2024, when President Claudia Sheinbaum confirmed her backing. The initiative had initially been cancelled in 2020 under then-governor Jaime Bonilla, before being revived by current state leader Marina del Pilar after the dismissal of an arbitration case initiated by Consolidated Water in 2024.