“I’m truly impressed by the quality of the work we are doing and, in particular, the attention we are paying to safety and environmental issues,” said the President of the Techint Group. The trip included tours to C20+ and SADDN projects. 

Paolo Rocca, President of the Techint Group, visited the C20+ and SADDN projects for the first time on February 1 and 2, accompanied by Oscar Scarpari, Techint E&C CEO, and Claudio Perillo, President Andean Region.

From the Andes to the sea

Paolo Rocca’s visit to the region began at the Techint E&C offices in Santiago, Chile, followed by a trip up north to tour the C20+ project in the Tarapacá region. These works involve building a seawater pumping system for the Doña Inés de Collahuasi Mining Company  (CMDIC), which will not only expand the operation’s infrastructure footprint, but also improve its production capacity. The main goal is to extend the operation’s useful life by another 20 years, ensuring output until 2040.

Accompanied by Scarpari and Perillo, Rocca started with a survey of the internal pipe lining phase and the automatic welding process, over 3,600 meters above sea level, and then continued his journey to Pumping Station number 5. There, he was joined by Santiago Latuf, Deputy Project Manager, Guillermo Eyherabide, Project Control Senior Manager, Adrian Romagnoli, Sr. Construction Manager of pipelines, Luis Patricio, Sr. Construction Manager of the plants, and Javier Echazú, Project Control Administration Sr. Manager.

The visit continued to the Victoria Logistics Center where he chatted to local staff, met with the heads of each area, toured the Data Center and checked out the different innovations being implemented. The last stop on his visit was to the Farellón, the high cliffs running along the coastline, the location for the Desalination Plant and Pumping Station number 1.

“The C20+ is an extraordinary project, one that’s emblematic for us, as the work involved in building a pipeline along the mountain range is extremely complex. In turn, it opens up the possibility for us to continue operating not only in Chile but also in the world. I’m truly impressed by the quality of the work we are doing and, in particular, the attention we are paying to safety and environmental issues,” commented Rocca.

Reducing the consumption of continental waters

The following day, Rocca visited the SADDN project in Tocopilla, where the company is building a desalination plant and an aqueduct that will supply water to three large mines in northern Chile for the Chilean National Copper Corporation (CODELCO), thus helping to reduce inland water consumption.

On this tour, Rocca was flanked by Marco Matranga, Project Sr. Director, Rodrigo Larralde, Deputy Project Director, Martin Jimenez Alvarez, Project Sr. Director, Guillermo Cremaschi, Project Control Sr. Manager, Hernan Czudnowski, Project Manager, Tiago Zurita, Sr. Construction Manager, Roberto Diaz, Sr. Construction Manager, Cristian Vicencio, Project QHSE Sr. Manager, Alejandro Sconfienza, Deputy Project Manager and Pablo Faybisovich, Administrative, Finance & IT Director Andean Region.

The first stop was at PK3, where the CEO was able to observe the steep slope running up the side of the coastal cliffs. This is where the aqueduct will be laid, one of the project’s most pressing construction challenges. Then the executives visited Pumping Station number 2, at PK4 of the pipeline.

From there, the delegation left for Caleta Viuda, in the south of Tocopilla commune, to tour the location planned for the marine works, before visiting the areas where the first construction phases are underway to build Pumping Station number 1 and the Desalination Plant.

The tour ended at the KM14 camp where Rocca held a management meeting with project leaders.

“This is a megaproject with major challenges, which requires a lot of experience and highly sophisticated engineering. I found an extremely professional group of experts: operators, supervisors, outstanding leaders and young people with a huge passion for doing and learning,” said Rocca.

“Techint has great projects underway in Mexico, Argentina and Chile, and we hope to also develop them in Brazil. Chile is looking at the need to replace mountain stream water with desalinated seawater to meet requirements for all its copper and lithium development projects. There is much more to do. The experience we are gaining in these complex projects is unique,” he said.

Rocca concludes: “There have been some extraordinary people who have worked on emblematic Techint projects throughout its history, ranging from those in Saudi Arabia at the end of the ‘70s, to Camisea, the OCP, Pelambres, Quellaveco and Quebrada Blanca. They all have a wealth of experience, but at the same time, there are also young people with an enormous passion for this work. I see Techint shaping the next generation as they learn to work here, where safety and environmental standards are at the forefront of our industry worldwide.”

Watch the video and explore the impressive landscapes where both projects are located: