In January 2018, Water. Desalination + reuse (Faversham House), citing El Sol de Hermosillo, reported that FCC Aqualia and Aqualia México had jointly won the tender for a desalination plant in Sonora. The water commission CEA ranked its technical offer first and its price second. The plant was to supply 200 litres per second (17,280 m³/day) to Empalme and Guaymas. The contract covered design, construction and just over 18 years of operation, with an investment of MXN 704 million (US$36.4 million). Completion was planned for the end of 2019.
The report showed Sonora tendering desalination as a public-private partnership with a long operating phase, attracting a wide field of domestic and international bidders.