Techint completes seawater pumping system for Chile's Collahuasi mine

SANTIAGO, April 10 (Reuters) - 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. (Reporting by Fabian Cambero, Editing by Natalia Siniawski)

Anglo American

Glencore