For the third consecutive year via teleconference, this Wednesday the 2022 Shareholders’ Meeting of Aguas Andinas was held, which had as its central point the work, management and investments deployed during the 2021 financial year to face the deep drought that affects the central zone, which exceeded $154 billion during the year. In addition, the medium and long-term plans that will allow Santiago to become an increasingly resilient and safe city in terms of water were discussed.
On the occasion, the importance of continuing with the investments and works necessary for adaptation in the face of climate change and profound water scarcity was stressed, within which opportunities are visualized to add new water sources, have greater redundancy in the infrastructure and increase system resilience to deliver an increasingly robust supply. Everything, with an investment plan already underway that exceeds US$ 300 million.
One of the most significant works to advance in supply support is the Cerro Negro – Lo Mena Wells: fast track work that will come into operation in 2022, allowing the city to reach 37 hours of autonomy and reinforce supply in the southern sector of Santiago. In addition, the expansion and modernization of the new Padre Hurtado drinking water treatment plant was highlighted, which after a total investment of $17 billion will go from the current 1,300 liters per second to 2,300 in June 2022 when it comes into operation; and the works carried out in the new San Antonio and San Enrique ponds, and the resilience works to face extreme turbidity events.
Initiatives that have been possible thanks to the financial strength that the company had during 2021 -in terms of net income, it amounted to $100,645 million-, 2% more than the previous year.
The project for the reuse of purified water from the biofactories was also discussed on the occasion, an initiative that must be approved by the authority, and that represents a concrete, real and sustainable solution to face the deep drought in the Metropolitan Region.
The chairman of the board of directors, Claudio Muñoz, highlighted during the meeting that “in addition to living with a scenario of changes from the political and social point of view, we are experiencing a new year with the most extreme and extensive drought of the last 200 years, with very low levels of precipitation and snow, historical decreases in the flows of the rivers that supply Santiago and melting of glaciers. All this has led us to continue executing great efforts through the deployment of a series of works that allow us to reinforce the supply for the city and its inhabitants because that is our commitment: that no one lacks water”.
For her part, the general manager of Aguas Andinas, Marta Colet, stated that “in terms of the country context, we are experiencing profound changes. Today Chile faces the challenge of writing a new Constitution to guarantee greater well-being to its inhabitants for the next 30 or 40 years. We trust and hope that these changes materialize by collecting the evidence and the experience of progress that the country has achieved as a basis, to continue advancing and looking for alternatives that improve water management in the midst of one of the greatest challenges that Chile faces: the deep and extreme drought that impacts the availability of water and requires large investments in adaptation and transformation”.
The intense plan carried out during 2021, mainly focused on dealing with the health emergency due to Covid-19 and the complications derived from the mega-drought, was also announced at the event, which allowed maintaining operational continuity at all times. Additionally, the commitment to continue reinforcing the work during this 2022 was reaffirmed.
Directory Renewal
The environmental services company also reported that, at the ordinary shareholders’ meeting held today, the Board of Directors was renewed, resulting in the election of Claudio Muñoz, Narciso Berberana, Jorge Manent, Loreto Silva, Giorgianna Cúneo, Jaime Arellano and Rodrigo Manubens. Meanwhile, Cosme Sagnier, Fernando Samaniego, Ignacio Escudero, Sonia Tschorne, Tomás Uauy, Víctor Selman and Gonzalo Rojas were appointed as alternate directors.
Following the instance, the company’s Board of Directors met, a session in which it was unanimously agreed by its members present to re-elect Claudio Muñoz as president of the same and of the company.
