Water for development: an ocean of opportunities
Published 23.10.2023
Hello there! We hope you’re doing well!
We’re back to share the news about some of the most important projects we’ve been working on over the last few months.
We'd like to start by telling you about the development of sustainable solutions to the water crisis which is affecting various countries to a greater or lesser extent, largely as a consequence of global climate change.
Although droughts are considered seasonal phenomena, in certain regions the processes of desertification have become a permanent reality. This is prompting those involved in productive activities to seek alternative water sources and ensure it’s used as efficiently as possible.
Chile has in particular become a paradigmatic case, as the water stress situation gripping the country is not only having an impact on its communities but also on one of the main engines driving its economy: the mining industry.
Let's see what’s being done to address this problem in the country.
Desalination: a modern form of alchemy
Looking out across the Pacific Ocean, Chile boasts a sea coastline that stretches over 6,000 kilometers, a privileged and almost infinite source of water. However, the problem is that salt water can’t be used for human consumption or irrigation, nor as a resource for certain industrial processes.
This is where water desalination comes into its own. However, to implement this process and bring water to various parts of the country, there are major logistical hurdles to be overcome in addition to the desalination itself—critical aspects such as transportation and pumping.
At Techint Engineering & Construction, we’ve been working to position ourselves as suppliers of an integrated solution encompassing desalination, electricity supply and transportation, both in Chile and other neighboring countries. We’re leveraging our extensive know how and experience in project design, including laying pipelines and high voltage lines as well as building substations and drive systems, enhanced with input from international experts specialized in desalination technology.
We recently began working with the Compañía Minera Doña Inés de Collahuasi, which runs the second biggest copper mine in Chile, one of the largest on the planet. The work contemplates building a system to pump desalinated water up from the Pacific coast to the mine, which lies over 4,000 meters above sea level. The aqueduct measures 195 km in length, featuring five pumping stations and offering a transport capacity of 1,100 liters per second (l/s) in the first stage.
In other news, Aguas Horizonte has just awarded us the EPC contract for a desalination plant supplying water to its mining operations in the Northern District of Codelco (Chuquicamata, Radomiro Tomic and Ministerio Hales). The system will have a transport capacity of 840 l/s and the potential to expand this to 1,956 l/s. This project gives Techint Engineering & Construction the opportunity to provide a comprehensive solution for Aguas Horizonte and Codelco as, in addition to the desalination plant, the works include the seawater intake station, an aqueduct measuring 160 km complete with pumping stations, as well as the water distribution network in the mines themselves. The company will also be laying the entire electricity system, including 110 kV and 220 kV high voltage lines and transformer stations.
Both these projects are the largest we’ve ever developed during our history of over 70 years’ work in Chile. We have every faith that they will further consolidate us as industry leaders, not only in this country but also throughout the region.
GPNK Gas Pipeline: a before and after moment for energy in Argentina
A crowning achievement: we built and laid 440 kilometers of a 36” pipeline for the Presidente Néstor Kirchner Gas Pipeline (GPNK) in a joint venture with SACDE. One of the most emblematic energy infrastructure projects ever to be built in Argentina, the pipeline was completed in barely ten months, the centerpiece of the country’s strategy to substitute gas imports. Its completion ushers in the next stage of work to develop the vast potential of the Vaca Muerta shale gas fields, the second largest unconventional gas reserves in the world.
The company rose to the challenge and achieved this remarkable feat in record time, working simultaneously on several fronts with over 4,000 employees and using more than 1,500 specialist pieces of equipment from different countries. These included the only two double-joint plants in all of Latin America that were employed in coordinated fashion, working from the ends of the pipeline, as well as automatic welding equipment—deployed for the first time in Argentina—to achieve an average progress rate of 4.5 km per day.
There are many reasons for our pride in this achievement: among others, we set a new record for welding 36“-pipes in a single work in Latin America: 510 welds in one day!
Legho Modules: the Marie Kondo technique of optimizing space
One of the main costs associated with the assembly and disassembly of on-site facilities has to do with transport. In our constant search for solutions to streamline processes, increase efficiency and improve productivity in our operations, we’ve developed the “Legho Modules”.
Looking ahead, our idea is to develop an automated system enabling the modules to be assembled without human intervention.
Watch this video for more information.
We hope you’ve enjoyed reading this newsletter as much as we enjoyed writing it!
Until next time!
The Communications team at Techint Engineering & Construction