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Antofagasta : Installation of water intake and outfall infrastructure for a desalination plant

This highly technical project involved designing and building water intake and discharge pipes in an area at high risk of earthquakes and tsunamis.

  • Location Antofagasta, CHILE

  • Solution Hydraulic and environment infrastructure

  • Key date 2014 - 2016

  • Customer BHP BILLITON

In view of these constraints, the pipes were constructed as micro-tunnels. The work required mobilising lifting and drilling equipment from the North Sea and using a remotely operated underwater excavator developed by Geocean. All the structures were designed and installed to comply with Chile’s strict seismic standards and the high standards set by our customers and their consulting engineers.

Construction and installation:

  • Drilling of 3 offshore reception wells for MTBMs (7m in diameter and 11m deep in the rocky seabed).
  • Construction of 2 seawater intake tunnels (540m each OD2500mm) and a discharge tunnel (360m OD2500).
  • Installation of a 90m OD1600mm double HDPE diffuser
  • Installation of 2 concrete intake structures at the end of the offshore shafts
  • A drilling platform for offshore foundations.
  • Use of a remotely operated underwater shovel