At one of the world's most arid deserts, where the project is located, Techint Engineering & Construction is conducting rigorous tests. The team is complying with the highest safety standards, while meticulously checking hermetic tightness and resistance along the entire length of 195 kilometers.

If the pumping stations are the beating heart of the pumping system, the pipeline is the artery bearing all the water running from the desalination plant in the seaport facilities belonging to the Compañía Minera Doña Inés de Collahuasi (CMDIC), to its operations in the mountains at an altitude of over 4,600 meters. To ensure that everything is working correctly, certain sections of the pipeline are being filled by Techint Engineering & Construction, as part of the preparatory work for the hydrostatic pressure tests.

To ensure greater precision, the pipeline has been divided into two main sections, coast and mountain range, and these in turn split up into a total of ten sections for the purposes of carrying out the tests. Pipeline inspections began in section No. 5 and continued in sections No. 4, No. 3 and No. 2 until they reached station No. 1 (PS1) in CMDIC’s port facilities. So far, the first hydrostatic tests in the coastal area have been completed, and next on the schedule are the tests to be carried out in upper sections in the mountain range.

Transport water safely up to 4,600 meters above sea level

“This is a crucially important stage as it takes place to check that all the tasks have been correctly concluded, with a focus on the quality and the integrity of the works carried out during the project. It’s a major milestone because, after a positive test, the pipeline is now ready to be operated,” comments Adrián Romagnoli, Sr. Construction Pipeline Manager.

In this context, obtaining water is not an easy task—and neither are the logistics for its transfer and injection into the pipeline. “As we already know, water is a scarce commodity in this part of the world, and we must take great care of it. These hydraulic tests must be thought through very carefully to ensure we take advantage of every last cubic meter of water and not permit any errors that could lead to the loss of this precious resource,” adds Romagnoli.

The pipeline filling process involves a series of steps requiring meticulous oversight and rigorous safety standards.

“We need to ensure that the tasks are properly planned and cover the scope required from the outset. At the start of activities, we verify people’s qualifications and training, review the documentation and check that all regulations are properly met to guarantee personnel safety when carrying out this test,” indicates Angeli Barraza, HSE Sr. Technician.

María Fernanda Ledezma, HSE Technician, points out: “All those of us involved in the hydrostatic tests have to take a course beforehand that ends with an evaluation. If we don't pass it, we have to retake the course. We also have to attend the daily prevention talk, tick off the corresponding checklist, make sure to use specific personal protection elements, such as hearing protectors. All of these initiatives are about ensuring that everybody returns home safe and sound at the end of the day.”

Pipeline testing is set to continue until year-end, enabling the team to certify that the system is in optimal conditions for the purposes of operation.