The governments of Santa Fe and Córdoba are making progress on the construction of the Biprovincial Aqueduct, a strategic project to expand and ensure access to drinking water in both provinces, and the OPEC Fund for International Development has now approved a loan of US$65 million to finance Block D of the Biprovincial Aqueduct: Santa Fe and Córdoba will share the loan equally (US$32.5 million each).
The Biprovincial Aqueduct will harness the water available in the River Paraná, via a new intake on the River Coronda, to supply towns that currently face constraints in the availability of sources suitable for human consumption.
The project addresses a shared need. Although Santa Fe has an extensive riverfront along the Paraná, much of its territory lacks sufficient local sources of good-quality water to sustain population growth. Córdoba, for its part, faces a more erratic availability of water resources, particularly during periods of low water levels and drought. Against this backdrop, both provinces agreed on a far-reaching solution: to transport water from Coronda to San Francisco, in Córdoba, with plans to extend the scheme to the city of Córdoba at a later stage.
The first phase will supply 32 towns in Santa Fe and 21 in Córdoba, with an estimated population of over 400,000. To organise the implementation and facilitate funding, the project has been divided into blocks. Whilst Block A is currently underway, preparations are continuing for Blocks B and C, and the international loan to develop Block D has already been approved.
Block A is 25 per cent complete
The first section of the project is 25 per cent complete and involves work being carried out on multiple fronts simultaneously. More than 4,600 metres of pipework have already been installed: 3,800 metres of main pipework for treated water and the first 800 metres of the raw water aqueduct.
Block A comprises the intake on the River Coronda, the raw water aqueduct, the water treatment plant, 4,740 metres of main pipeline up to the junction with the AP-01 motorway, part of the feeder lines into Coronda and the distribution centre in that town.
The main treated water pipelines are made of glass-fibre-reinforced plastic and have a diameter of 1.70 metres. In parallel, work is progressing on the branch line to Coronda, the installation of fibre-optic cabling for remote monitoring of the system, and the preparation of the site where the water treatment plant will operate.
This phase is funded by a US$50 million grant from the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development, earmarked for infrastructure development in both provinces.
Loan approved for Phase D
The OPEC Fund for International Development has approved a US$65 million loan to finance Phase D of the Biprovincial Aqueduct. Santa Fe and Córdoba will share the loan equally: US$ 32.5 million each.
The loan will have a term of 20 years, with a five-year grace period – during which no principal will be repaid – and 15 years for repayment. The interest rate will be variable and will consist of the SOFR, a benchmark used in international financial markets, plus 2.30 percentage points per annum. Based on the SOFR rate in force at the time of approval, the rate stands at 6.27 per cent per annum.
The funds will enable the construction of Pumping Station 3, located at the junction of National Route 34 and Provincial Route 64, and the laying of 24.96 kilometres of main pipeline between the end of Block C and that facility. Pumping stations are essential for maintaining the pressure and flow rate required to transport water throughout the system.
Block D also includes branches 4, 4.1 and 4.2, which will supply Colonia Belgrano, San Martín de las Escobas, Traill, Casas, Cañada Rosquín and Las Bandurrias, each with its own distribution centre.
Upon completion of this phase, the system will serve an estimated population of 87,800 inhabitants. The project will expand access to drinking water, strengthen water security and support population and economic growth in Santa Fe and Córdoba.
