Techint completes seawater pumping system for Chile’s Collahuasi mine

Construction firm Techint said on Friday it had finished building a system that will carry water from the sea to the mining operations at Collahuasi in northern Chile, one of the world’s largest copper deposits.

The pumping system, part of a $1 billion infrastructure improvement project, will carry water from the coastal town of Punta Patache to the Ujina deposit, more than 4,400 meters above sea level.

Techint began the works in 2022. The improvement project aims to ensure operational continuity for two decades.

The system includes five pumping stations, six drainage station, a 49,000-cubic-meter transfer station and a 194-kilometer-long (121 mile) pipeline with a 44-inch diameter.

It will feed into a coastal desalination plant developed by Spain’s Acciona that should supply 1,050 of liters per second to the operation.

Collahuasi, run by Anglo American and Glencore, produced 406,100 tons of copper in 2025, down 27.3% from 2024 due harder, lower-grade ores.

(By Fabian Cambero; Editing by Natalia Siniawski)