In November 2017, Water. Desalination + reuse (Faversham House) reported that Cagece, the utility serving Brazil's Ceará state, had two firms interested in a seawater desalination plant. The 86,400 m³/day facility was to supply the metropolitan area of the state capital, Fortaleza. Spain's Acciona Agua and GS Inima Brasil wanted to prepare detailed studies. Cagece planned to decide by December whether they could proceed, with full proposals due by late April 2018. Suez had signed a memorandum with Cagece on water reuse in May 2017.
The report showed that seawater desalination was being examined in north-east Brazil as an option for supplying a major city, starting with studies by private firms.