Aqualia, the water management subsidiary of FCC Group, has been awarded a contract for the design, construction and operation of the wastewater treatment plant in El Salitre, located in Bogota (Colombia), for an amount of 380 million euros. Specifically, the Regional Autonomous Corporation (CAR) has chosen Cundinamarca, a company led by Aqualia, for the works ahead of other major international consortia.

Once completed, the plant will treat more than 600,000 cubic meters of water per day, serving three million people. The total value of the contract is the largest amount raised to date by Aqualia in South America. It also marks the entry of the company into the Colombian market.

The company explained that the expansion of the treatment plant El Salitre presents a "technically complex" challenge as it involves increasing its treatment capacity by four cubic meters per second to reach the target of 7.1.

In addition, as the treatment plant is located on the grounds of a former landfill site innovative technical solutions will be required. The draft plans involve the use of over 300 km of piles for the foundations of the new plant.

The works of the treatment plant El Salitre form part of the Adequacy Hydraulic and Environmental Recovery Bogota River megaproject.