On January 14, 2015, the company INIMA-CVV S.A. was awarded the EPC Marine Works and Desalination Plant contract, for the detailed engineering, supply of equipment and materials, construction and commissioning of a seawater desalination plant, tendered by Codelco, in the sector of km 14 of Route 1 from Tocopilla.

The objective of the state-owned company was to supply RT-Codelco’s industrial water reservoir, to provide water for its current operations and for its sixth structural project: RT Sulphide’s.

The project developed by PA Engineering considered the design of a desalination plant from the seawater intake to the product water, ready for impulsion. The detailed engineering necessary for the final design and detailed planning of the acquisitions, construction and commissioning of the desalination plant and its maritime seawater catchment and brine discharge works was developed. The maritime works were designed to support at least a future production of desalinated water of 163,350 m3/day, equivalent to 1,890 l/s. In turn, the plant would have the particularity of producing water in steps reaching up to 840 l/s, reaching a production of 2,177,280 m3/month.

Empresa Portuaria San Antonio (EPSA) hired the services of PA Engineering to develop the urbanization of the areas acquired during 2009, located south of the Port of San Antonio, which are oriented to the development of logistics activities.

This area, of approximately 65 hectares, is used for activities such as: cargo warehouses, truck parking spaces and service distribution centres. This allowed an organic and sustained growth of the Port.

The engineering included the development of soil mechanics, civil development of earthworks, road design, design of electrical system for lighting, possibility of installing reefer containers and sanitary design, among others.

Additionally, the architecture of the service building was developed at the pre-design level.

The project aimed to improve the Evaporators area of the Constitución plant, to improve its operational availability and achieve a stable generation of black liquor with 70% solids to be burned in the recovery boiler. The main equipment has been purchased from the supplier Valmet Brazil. The project considers a net evaporation rate of 325 tons/h of water and a solids concentration of 70% virgin for Black Liquor.

The project consisted of the construction of a new iron ore stockpile yard and the installation of new recovery and transport belts, roads and works attached to the infrastructure, in order to increase the port’s loading and occupancy capacity.