GS Inima Selected as 'Desalination Plant of the Year' at Global Awards

Panoramic view of the Atacama seawater desalination facility in Chile (Provided by GS Engineering & Construction)

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyemin] GS Inima, a global water treatment company and subsidiary of GS Engineering & Construction, has been selected as the Desalination Plant of the Year at the '2022 Global Water Awards' for its seawater desalination facility in Atacama, Chile.

GS Engineering & Construction announced on the 24th that it was selected at this award ceremony held on the 18th in Madrid, Spain, by GWI, the world's most prestigious water industry research organization. Every year, GWI selects the Plant of the Year, Desalination Company of the Year, and other awards by dividing global desalination plants and companies into 10 categories including plants, contracts, and projects.

The selected facility is the seawater desalination plant completed by GS Inima in the Copiap? region of the Atacama Desert in Chile. This desert is notorious as the driest desert in the world, and northern Atacama in Chile has long suffered from chronic water shortages. GS Inima completed a desalination production facility with a capacity of 38,880㎡ per day in February this year and began supplying drinking water to 210,000 people.

GWI stated the reason for the selection as "the most modern seawater desalination plant with design innovation and high energy efficiency."

A GS Engineering & Construction official said, "This award recognizes GS Inima as a world leader in seawater desalination technology," adding, "As a representative eco-friendly business in the ESG era, we will solidify our status as a global leader in this field."

Meanwhile, GS Inima entered the South American market in 2019 by acquiring the industrial water business division of Brazil's top company, BRK Ambiental, and in 2020, it secured projects in Oman, marking its first entry into the Middle Eastern market. This year, it expanded into Southeast Asia by acquiring a 30% stake in PMV, an industrial water supplier in southern Vietnam.