Corpus Christi partners with CPS Energy for large-scale desalination project

The Corpus Christi City Council approved a collaborative agreement earlier this week with the city of San Antonio to explore a seawater desalination project at the Barney Davis Power Plant. Pending additional approvals, the agreement marks an early step for a large-scale contracting opportunity to design and develop the proposed facility.

What was once considered financially out of reach is now back on the table as the city confronts intensifying drought conditions and rapidly declining reservoir levels. Combined storage at Choke Canyon Reservoir and Lake Corpus Christi has fallen below 10%, raising concerns that demand could soon outpace supply and force emergency measures. 

With the agreement, the city council directed staff to collaborate with the San Antonio-owned utility, CPS Energy, to evaluate whether the Barney Davis Power Plant, an 897-megawatt natural gas facility acquired by CPS Energy in 2024, could be converted into a seawater desalination plant. The coastal site already draws water from the Laguna Madre for industrial use, and its existing intake infrastructure has long made it a leading candidate for desalination, potentially reducing the cost and complexity of building a new facility from scratch.  

That urgency is compounded by the region’s heavy industrial base, where petrochemical plants, refineries and port-dependent manufacturers rely on consistent water supplies to maintain operations. 

City officials say the project could produce between 50 million and 100 million gallons of water per day, though key questions remain about financing, brine disposal and potential environmental impacts on nearby waterways. City officials are also pursuing other options, including nearly $1 billion in additional groundwater development, as pressure mounts to secure long-term supply. State leaders, including Gov. Greg Abbott, have warned that intervention could be necessary if conditions continue to worsen. 

Photo by Tom Fisk from Pexels