In February 2019, Water. Desalination + reuse (Faversham House) reported that IDE had won a contract to engineer and deliver a modular desalination unit for the expansion of the Quebrada Blanca copper mine, owned by Teck Resources, in northern Chile. Using seawater reverse osmosis, the plant was to provide high-quality water for ore processing in the concentrator. Prefabricated modules were expected to cut effort, time and cost for installation and start-up at the mine. According to the report, IDE had at least 20 desalination plants in operation in South America.
The report showed how mining in Chile's arid north relied on seawater desalination and how suppliers offered prefabricated modules for remote sites.