Engineering, project management and construction services will be provided by Bechtel. The project involves construction of a seawater desalination plant at the Caleta Coloso port and the piping and electrical infrastructure needed to transport the water to the mine, 185km away and 3,100m above sea level.
The mine is operated by Minera Escondida, in which BHP Billiton owns a majority stake.
鈥淭his an important project that鈥檚 quite complex given the distance between the port and the mine combined with the mine鈥檚 remote location and high altitude - not to mention the Atacama's being the world鈥檚 driest hot desert,鈥 said聽 Jos茅 Ivo, general manager of Bechtel鈥檚 mining and metals business in the Americas.
Bechtel will construct聽 the seawater desalination plant. In addition, the company will undertake the engineering and construction of聽 two 42-inch-diameter pipelines that will run between the port and the mine. Also included is the related infrastructure, which includes four high-pressure pumping stations, associated electrical substations, and 114km of high-voltage transmission lines along the pipeline route. Bechtel also will provide聽 construction management services for the marine works associated with the project.
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