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According to a Reuters report, the agency said both salinated and ocean-direct seawater utilisation will jump by 230% over the level used in 2018.
By 2029, it added, 43% of miners' demands could be met by seawater by 2029.
"More and more miners are building their own desalination plants or using water straight from the ocean to confront shortages of water," the report said.
Some of the largest miners in the arid desert region of northern Chile include BHP, Glencore, Antofagasta, and Anglo American; many in the region have been seeking alternatives as shortage issues grow. Combined, production reached 5.33Mt, Reuters said, up 6% year-on-year.
