The 1,600km Aquatacama freshwater pipeline was designed to transport water from rivers in
southern region VII to northern Chile, where water resources are insufficient to cover the needs
of the mining industry and human population. French concessions and construction giant
Vinci's Chilean branch, Via Marina, and Chilean technology transfer foundation Fundacion
Chile are promoting a freshwater pipeline project, which is seen as a cheaper alternative to
seawater desalination. The project would be carried out in three phases. The first, involves
transporting 5m3/s of water between region VII and region III's Copiapo city. The second
consists of expanding the pipeline to transport 10m3/s between Copiapo and region II's
Antofagasta city, while the third phase involves extending the structure transport 5m3/s to
region I's Iquique city.