In October 2015, Water. Desalination + reuse (Faversham House) reported that White Mountain Titanium Corporation had concluded a memorandum of understanding (MOU), described as non-binding, with Sinosteel Equipment and Engineering, a Chinese state-controlled metallurgy and engineering company. Under it, Sinosteel was to help develop the Cerro Blanco project, which included a desalination plant. Sinosteel might take a direct equity stake in the desalination plant, depending on a financing agreement and on approval by its supervising authorities. White Mountain engineers were supplying data for Sinosteel's financial and technical review.
The report showed a mining company in 2015 planning a desalination plant as part of its project infrastructure and bringing in a Chinese state-controlled partner as a possible investor.