The International Conference and Exhibition Desalination Latin America will hold its eighth edition in Santiago, Chile on June 17-18, 2026, bringing together desalination industry leaders to address regional water challenges and sustainable development. The event has established itself as a strategic hub for Latin America's desalination sector, facilitating dialogue, project development, and investment attraction over seven years of operation.
Key participants regularly include major utilities such as Aguas de Antofagasta, Esval, and Aguas Pacífico, alongside mining corporations like Codelco, Anglo American, and Teck Resources. Governmental representation features Chile's Ministry of Mining, General Directorate of Water, and development institutions including CAF – Development Bank of Latin America and BID Invest. The conference typically attracts over 300 delegates comprising C-level executives, government officials, financial institution representatives, and technology providers.
Major investment projects on the regional agenda include desalination for mining expansion programs in Chile, the Northern Chile Water Supply Corridor integrating multi-user pipelines, and Peru's coastal desalination public-private partnerships in Lima, Ilo, and southern industrial clusters. Renewable-powered desalination projects incorporating solar and wind energy with seawater reverse osmosis technology represent a growing focus, alongside brine valorization initiatives for lithium and salt recovery. Upcoming 2026-2027 bidding rounds in Chile and Peru will introduce new PPPs and multi-client desalination hubs.
The event organizer, Vostock Capital, has secured sponsorship from industry leaders including Schneider Electric, Valmet, Dupont, and Black and Veatch, with official support from Chilean government ministries. Media partners include BNamericas, Global Water Intelligence, and The Business Year. Additional information about the conference is available through the official website.
Complementing the Santiago conference, two exclusive technical site visits in Spain will offer professionals advanced desalination insights. The May 13-14 visit to the AcuaMed Desalination Plant in Murcia and September 22-23 visit to the ATL Desalination Plant in Llobregat provide hands-on learning opportunities at operational facilities. Registration details for these visits are accessible at https://desalbusinessvisit2026.com/registration-request-media and https://desalvisitbcn.com/registration-request-media respectively.
This gathering's significance extends beyond technical exchange to addressing critical water security issues affecting Latin America's economic development. With mining operations, agricultural sectors, and urban populations increasingly dependent on reliable water sources, the conference serves as a catalyst for infrastructure development that balances industrial growth with environmental sustainability. The integration of renewable energy with desalination processes reflects evolving industry priorities toward reducing carbon footprints while meeting water demand.
The concentration of financial institutions, government regulators, and private sector executives creates unique opportunities for accelerating project implementation across the region. As climate change intensifies water scarcity challenges, particularly in arid coastal areas of Chile and Peru, the solutions and partnerships forged at this event could significantly influence regional water management strategies for decades. The technical visits to Spanish facilities further enable knowledge transfer from global leaders in desalination technology to Latin American practitioners.
