City Manager Peter Zanoni said the estimate marks a major step forward in the project’s development, noting the figure is about 25% lower than the previous price.

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Corpus Christi City Council has received a preliminary Guaranteed Maximum Price of about $978 million for the proposed Inner Harbor desalination plant, according to City Manager Peter Zanoni. 

Zanoni said the estimate marks a major step forward in the project’s development, noting the figure is about 25% lower than an earlier estimate developed by engineering firm Kiewit Corporation before the City ended its previous contract.

Zanoni said the project is expected to reach 60% design by April, a milestone that would allow Corpus Christi Desal Partners to present a more refined and defensible total cost.

The partnership includes Acciona, MasTec, Reytec Construction Resources, Inc., and Ardurra Group, Inc.

“Yeah we’re very happy, I mean, 25.5% price reduction, just by checking out the second firm is huge for our rate payers,” Zanoni said. 

Once that design phase is complete, the group would be positioned to provide the city with a Guaranteed Maximum Price before any potential construction contract is considered.

Still, some council members say they remain cautious.

Councilman Eric Cantu and Councilman Everett Roy both told 3NEWS they are concerned the project’s cost could increase as design work continues and say they intend to closely monitor the contract as the process moves forward.

Both council members also emphasized the importance of the project’s pending far-field discharge study, which will examine how concentrated brine from the desalination process would disperse into Corpus Christi Bay.

They say the results of that study could play a critical role in determining whether the city ultimately moves ahead with construction.

City officials have previously described the Inner Harbor plant as a key part of a broader effort to diversify the region’s water supply, as the Coastal Bend faces the possibility of water curtailment as early as November of 2026 without new sources coming online.