City leaders in Corpus Christi are exploring a potential desalination facility at the Barney Davis Power Plant as part of ongoing efforts to address the region’s worsening water shortage.
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Three high-ranking city officials met this week with representatives from CPS Energy, which owns the site in Flour Bluff, to discuss the feasibility of the project. Officials say all options remain under consideration as water supply concerns grow.
Corpus Christi City Manager Peter Zanoni said the site presents a promising opportunity, depending on cost and potential partnerships.
“It’s an ideal location for several reasons … if the city and CPS Energy and maybe a third-party design-build operator came to an agreement, and the price was good for our ratepayers, it could mean a desalination facility there,” Zanoni said.
The city is now in the process of hiring consultants to help manage the project, which could ultimately produce between 50 million and 100 million gallons of water per day.
City Councilwoman Kaylynn Paxson said one key advantage of the Barney Davis site is its ability to scale production by piping water offshore.
“One of the key points that makes this project able to scale up that big is because it could actually be piped offshore, so the discharge and intake will come in and out of the Gulf,” Paxson said. “There’s way less restrictions and concerns on what impacts this could negatively have on its environment.”
Paxson said that feature distinguishes the project from the city’s planned Inner Harbor desalination plant, which is expected to produce about 30 million gallons per day. Offshore access could allow the Barney Davis facility — and a similar proposal from the Nueces River Authority at Harbor Island — to generate significantly more water.
“Those two plants can really scale up to a lot of water — that’s what we need,” Paxson said.
She acknowledged that building the necessary pipeline infrastructure to transport tens of millions of gallons per day will take time. However, she said the permitting process could move more quickly because of the existing power plant infrastructure and support from state leaders.
“What can we do right now to begin to talk to the state and say, how can we take these permits … and possibly look at variances to expedite the process,” Paxson said. “Especially with how the governor has given his support behind asking TCEQ to help expedite permits.”
In a statement, CPS Energy said it is open to continued discussions.
“We welcome the opportunity to engage with local leaders and remain committed to working together in a productive manner,” a spokesperson said. “Any potential collaboration would be carefully evaluated with our customers’ best interests in mind.”
City officials say additional details about the project will be released as they become available.