The most significant moves toward development of a seawater desalination plant are officially underway.

In a 6-3 vote Tuesday, the City Council opted to continue forward on a path to its construction of a 30 MGD desalination plant on what has been dubbed the Inner Harbor site.

Councilmembers Sylvia Campos and Jim Klein voted in dissent, while City Councilman Gil Hernandez abstained.

With the prevailing final vote, city staff is authorized to accept a $211 million low-interest loan from the Texas Water Development Board, as well as apply for a new $535 million low-interest loan from the same state program. It also gives the go-ahead to spend about $3.1 million for a power substation to supply the plant with electricity, and apply for a federal grant of as much as $180 million that may go toward development costs.

The decisions made by the council come on the heels of new estimates for development of the plant, proposed for construction off the ship channel and adjacent to the Hillcrest neighborhood.

The request to apply for a new low-interest loan is driven by the more than doubling figure estimated for development.

Originally estimated in 2019 at about $220 million, it is now thought construction will run about $541.1 million. City officials have said the increase represents a plant of a 20 MGD capacity and cost inflation.

Additional work – such as constructing infrastructure that would integrate the water into the city’s distribution system – amounts to an estimated $216 million.

It totals about $757.5 million.

The discussion drew about 50 people to address the council – nearly split in half on opposition and support.

More: ‘Our bay is not for sale’: Environmental coalition responds to draft desalination permit

More: A neighborhood’s message to the city of Corpus Christi: ‘Hillcrest will not yield.’

More: Here’s how building a desalination plant may impact water rates in Corpus Christi

This article originally appeared on Corpus Christi Caller Times: Corpus Christi moving forward with controversial desalination plant