As San Patricio County, the Coastal Bend, and South Texas continue to search for ways to mitigate the current drought conditions around the region, the city of Corpus Christi is working towards a new proposed contract for a desalination plant in Inner Harbor.
During the most recent city council meeting in late February, the Corpus Christi City Council approved a resolution authorizing the negotiation of a contract of just over $978 million for the Inner Harbor Seawater Desalination Treatment Plant project with Corpus Christi Desal Partners (CCDP). CCDO is a joint venture with Acciona Agua Corporation and MasTec Industrial Corporation.
The San Patricio County Municipal Water District, which serves area municipalities such as Portland, Ingleside, Aransas Pass, Odem, Mathis, and more, gets its water from the city of Corpus Christi.
According to the city, the new preliminary cost of a proposed Inner Harbor Desalination Plant would be $978,770,000. That price, the city said, would be a reduction of more than 25% from the previous vendor’s estimate of $1.3 billion – a proposal which was rejected in late 2025.
Approving the measure, the city said, gives the city staff authority to develop the design-build contract with CCDP for the city council’s consideration at a later meeting. Current timelines call for the council to consider approval of the final design-build contract with CCDP for the Inner Harbor Desalination Project in April 2026, as the city said it remains steadfast in its efforts to safely procure water resources for South Texas and Coastal Bend residents.
As part of the proposal, the city said it has maintained key foundation components of the previous Inner Harbor project, including approved intake and discharge permits from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) and the Army Corps of Engineers (ACOE).
The city said it has also maintained property agreements with Flint Hills Resources, power infrastructure agreements with AEP, low-interest SWIFT loans from the Texas Water Development Board (TWDB), and distribution infrastructure through the Navigation Pump Station.
“This is a significant step forward in securing long-term, reliable water supply for our customers,” said Nicholas Winkelmann, Chief Operating Officer of Corpus Christi Water. “We are pleased to move forward with a highly qualified team committed to delivering this critical infrastructure project.”