In record time and at an altitude of over 4,500 metres, Techint E&C completed the pumping system that now supplies desalinated water to the Collahuasi mine. A challenging project that combined expertise in field engineering, safety and teamwork to carry out a key project for the country's mining sector.

Techint Engineering and Construction completed the Interconexión project, one of the most challenging in its history, in record time. In just 10 months, the company built a water pumping system connecting the Quebrada Blanca mine facilities with Collahuasi, in the Tarapacá Region of Chile. With water flowing since May 9, the project is moving towards its final technical and administrative closure stage.

The project involves the construction of a 15.2-kilometre pipeline, as well as a pumping station with three pumps, a storage pool, a pumping station with two pumps, an outlet station with two additional pumps and a loading bilge.

In addition to the technical challenge, the project was marked by the need to meet a very demanding deadline: to guarantee water supply in May 2025, in support of the C20+ project. ‘If we didn't get the water flowing in May, we would all fail. And everyone on the project knew that,’ says Marcelo Quezada, Project Manager. ‘We were all very clear about the deadline. That was the main motivation that allowed us to achieve the goal. We are proud of what we accomplished.’

During the execution, multiple complexities were faced: high mountain logistics, altitude (4,600 metres above sea level), the puna and staff turnover. ‘The cold was intense, with temperatures reaching -10°C. In addition, during the summer we had to face the Altiplano winter, which has very adverse weather conditions. Therefore, one of the biggest challenges was keeping people motivated,’ says Marcelo. ‘Today, we still have about 200 people working to complete the demobilisation. We want to finish with the same commitment with which we started.’

The planning was supported by a consolidated leadership structure. ‘The core of the team is made up of people who have been working with me for more than ten years. In addition, professionals from the C20+ project joined us, and there was very good integration between people of different nationalities, such as Argentinians and Peruvians,’ he points out. ‘A solid team was formed, committed to the challenge, which understood from the beggining the importance of delivering.’

Safety at height

Marcos Cavalli, HSE Director, highlighted the safety milestones achieved in Inteexión: ‘The project's performance in prevention has been extraordinary. With almost one and a half million hours worked, there have been no accidents with lost days. We have fulfilled one of the main objectives of the project — to take care of our workers.’

Likewise, an excellent standard of road safety was achieved, with no vehicle accidents recorded in over a million kilometres travelled and minimising observed detours. This achievement is the result of constant monitoring by the Road Monitoring Centre and the work of road supervisors in the field, who are key to road safety.

“A particular condition of the project was that it was executed at two mining sites with different prevention management systems, so we worked hard in the early stages to harmonise and implement the systems of both clients, which, together with Techint E&C's Integrated Management System (SIG), have been fundamental tools in achieving the aforementioned results,” explained Cavalli.

The Health department also played a key role in supporting staff in extreme geographical conditions. All this has been possible thanks to the strong leadership in Prevention of all those involved, and mainly of the entire project command chain, demonstrating that it is possible to do a great job, even in the most adverse conditions.

From the Engineering side, David Mayorga, Instrument Engineer from Ecuador, also highlights the value of having worked in the field, something unusual in this type of project. "We were able to support both the client and the Construction team. That made a huge difference. It was a two-way experience, a win-win. And we took away very valuable feedback that will be useful not only for this project, but for everything that comes after."

The project also provided important technical lessons. One of the most critical moments was the excavation in the pool area. "More than 60% of the terrain was bedrock. We spent three months removing material with 18 excavators operating from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., always under strict safety measures’, recalls Giorgio Gutiérrez, Construction Manager. ‘The other half of the pool was built on compacted fill, which required meticulous logistics to distribute equipment, avoid interference and ensure efficiency."

For many, the project became personal. "I have executed more than 20 projects, and they all have their difficulties. But we took on this one with a special commitment,’ confesses Marcelo Quezada. ‘We achieved milestones, we broke paradigms. And above all, we delivered for the client, for the company and for ourselves."

Interconexión marked a milestone for Techint E&C: a challenging project, executed with technical and human excellence, which once again reaffirms the company's ability to carry out key infrastructure for the development of mining in the region.