Uruguay's OSE to invest US$550mn in 2020-24

The head of Uruguay's state-owned water utility OSE, Milton Machado, said that the firm will invest US$110mn per year in water infrastructure works over the next five-year period ending in 2024.

Some of the projects in the plan are already underway, such as the last phase of the wastewater treatment system in Ciudad de la Costa (Canelones department), Machado was reported as saying by magazine Caras y Caretas. This project entails US$150mn and began in 2009, according to the OSE website.

Other ongoing works include a US$20mn wastewater treatment plant in Salto, capital of the department of the same name, which will be inaugurated "in a couple of months," Machado said.

As for future projects, the official said that works to build a new sewerage system in Ciudad de la Plata (San José department) will be tendered in April.

As regards the latter, on Monday the head of Uruguay's planning and budget office, Álvaro García, said that the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) had approved a US$20mn loan for this project, the presidential office stated in a release.

Other projects in the US$550mn five-year plan mentioned by Machado include the Casupá reservoir (US$100mn), a new wastewater treatment unit for the city of Santa Lucía and a new treatment plant for the city of Colonia.