During his participation in LA NACION Minería, Ricardo Juan, Mining Sr. Director at Techint E&C, analyzed the infrastructure required by large-scale mining projects, the challenge of developing specialized talent, and the value of regional mining experience in Chile and Peru to transform Argentina’s geological potential into concrete projects.

Argentina’s mining industry is going through a period of expansion that is opening up new opportunities for the country’s economic development. At the same time, the pipeline of copper and lithium projects presents challenges related to infrastructure, logistics, water supply, talent availability and the ability to execute large-scale initiatives.

In this context, Ricardo Juan, Mining Sr. Director at Techint E&C, participated in the panel “Energy Solutions, Infrastructure and Logistics for a Growing Industry,” held as part of LA NACION Minería. During the event, he shared the company’s experience in Argentina, Chile and Peru and emphasized that the industry’s growth will depend on taking a comprehensive view of both the projects and the ecosystem that supports them.

For Juan, discussing the development of new large-scale mining projects necessarily means discussing infrastructure. In his presentation, he identified two complementary dimensions. The first encompasses the specific infrastructure each project requires to become a reality, such as access roads, power lines and camps for the teams involved in construction.

The second encompasses the infrastructure that supports the mining ecosystem over the long term and develops alongside the growth of the industry. This includes connectivity, transportation, service availability and other capabilities needed not only during construction, but also once projects enter their operating and production stages.

“The experience of Chile and Peru helps illustrate the scale of this challenge. Consider the air connectivity in northern Chile, where cities such as Iquique, Antofagasta and Calama have the capacity to handle between 20 and 30 flights a day, compared with San Juan, where frequency fluctuates between approximately three and five flights per day. The difference shows that mining growth requires infrastructure to evolve in parallel with the project pipeline,” said Juan.

The location of Argentine deposits in the Andes is often seen as a logistical challenge. However, Juan suggested viewing it as an opportunity as well. Argentina can consider both domestic and Chilean ports for exporting production and has different alternatives for sourcing critical supplies, including water.

“Rather than seeing it as a constraint, we have an opportunity: we have alternatives to choose from. The key will be to analyze each option and select the one that best suits the characteristics of each project,” he added.

This regional perspective is particularly relevant for an industry in which water, port, energy and road infrastructure must be integrated from the early stages of planning.

Water supply is one of the critical factors for mining development, particularly in arid regions and operations located at high altitudes. During the panel, Juan explained that Chile transformed its water-use model decades ago and highlighted Techint E&C’s track record in water solutions for mines in Chile and Peru.

As an example, he presented C20+, the water pumping system that Techint E&C developed for Collahuasi in northern Chile. The project includes approximately 200 kilometers of pipelines and five pumping stations to transport water from a desalination plant on the Pacific Ocean to an operation located approximately 4,400 meters above sea level.

“It is a landmark project that strengthens our position, adds value and enables us to have personnel with extensive experience in mining projects on the scale of those that are coming to Argentina,” he said.

He also noted that Techint E&C has participated in approximately 80% of the large-scale water pumping systems developed for the Chilean mining industry, through solutions integrating marine works, desalination plants, water pipelines, pumping stations and high-voltage electrical infrastructure.

Recent projects also include SADDN and Interconexión in Chile. Under SADDN, the system will transport desalinated water to an elevation of more than 3,000 meters to supply Codelco’s operations in northern Chile, including Chuquicamata. The scale of these projects is also reflected in their impact on employment: SADDN generated approximately 8,000 jobs.

In addition to physical infrastructure, the growth of the mining industry will require a large number of people with technical skills and experience in complex projects. Mining projects themselves will compete for talent, while also competing with the Oil & Gas industry, driven by the development of Vaca Muerta and its portfolio of projects under execution and planning.

Faced with this scenario, Juan offered an optimistic perspective based on concrete experience. Techint E&C has already faced similar challenges through the development of Oil & Gas projects in Vaca Muerta, such as Fortín de Piedra and the Perito Moreno Gas Pipeline, as well as through the simultaneous execution of large-scale water pumping systems in Chile and one of Mexico’s largest refineries.

The response, he explained, lies in anticipating needs, identifying capability gaps, and implementing training and development programs. Achieving the required scale will depend on coordination between the public and private sectors.

“With planning, training and development, we can build that talent base. I have no doubt that these projects can be carried out with the resources and skills required. At Techint E&C, we have already been promoting these training and development programs for our people,” he said.

The challenge will be to align these capabilities with long-term planning that can turn the opportunities in Argentina’s mining industry into investment, employment, supplier development and sustainable growth.