Performance record

SADDN first-water delivery to Radomiro Tomic evidence

Desalinated water has reached the new Radomiro Tomic reservoir after moving through SADDN's integrated seawater-intake, desalination, power, pumping, and long-distance conveyance system. The milestone is important because it demonstrates first water across the marine-to-mine route, but the public record still describes construction, commissioning, hydraulic testing, and progressive interface validation. It does not establish continuous 840 l/s service, accepted water quality, marine-system reliability, supply to all three mining divisions, or full commercial operation.

Evidence boundary: Techint E&C reports first desalinated water at the Radomiro Tomic reservoir during construction and commissioning, not accepted rated output, sustained service, marine-intake and brine-return performance, whole-system completion, or commercial operation.

Aerial view of the SADDN Radomiro Tomic reservoir and large-diameter water-control pipework in Chile's Atacama Desert

Techint Engineering & Construction

Verified record

Desalinated water reached Radomiro Tomic; sustained output and acceptance not established in Chile

The June 2026 first-water milestone confirms that water passed through the coast-to-mine chain. It does not establish accepted rated output, water quality, full-system completion, or sustained operation.

Evidence level Reported Sources reviewed 9

Location

Chile / Americas

Milestone or operating state

Desalinated water reached Radomiro Tomic; sustained output and acceptance not established

Evidence conclusion

First-water evidence

Last updated

15 July 2026

Scope and limits

Evidence scope and limits

The file reviewed through 15 July 2026 establishes Codelco's BOOT authorization, Aguas Horizonte's developer role and Techint's EPC mandate. It defines the submarine system, auxiliary pier, coastal sump, trench blasting, intake and brine-return pipes, coastal energization, intake-tower installation, high-head conveyance, reservoir and independent commissioning assurance. Techint's 23 June account confirms first water at Radomiro Tomic during hydraulic tests and progressive validation. Still absent are accepted continuous flow, representative water-quality results, intake availability, brine-dispersion monitoring, power and pumping reliability, service to the other two mining divisions, final completion and commercial-operation certification.

Confirmed

Supported findings

  • Techint E&C reported on 23 June 2026 that desalinated water had reached the new Radomiro Tomic reservoir as part of SADDN's construction and commissioning process.
  • Techint states that hydraulic testing and technical verifications are progressively validating systems and interfaces rather than declaring the integrated system fully operational.
  • The contractor's project profile links a 1.3-kilometre submarine pipeline and reverse-osmosis plant to more than 160 kilometres of 48-inch conveyance, three pumping stations, five substations, and a 250,000-cubic-metre reservoir.
  • Techint's dated marine-work records document the coastal sump, auxiliary pier, underwater trench blasting, intake and brine-return pipes, and installation of the first offshore seawater-intake tower.
  • Codelco identifies the BOOT supply system, an initial 840 l/s design capacity expandable to 1,956 l/s, and intended service to Radomiro Tomic, Chuquicamata, and Ministro Hales.

Still unverified

Unverified outcomes

  • Accepted continuous production and delivery at the initial 840 l/s design capacity, including availability, unplanned outages, ramp-up limits, and a representative operating period.
  • Product-water quality compliance, accepted reservoir volume and pressure, and stable distribution beyond Radomiro Tomic to Chuquicamata and Ministro Hales.
  • Operating availability and condition of the offshore intake, submarine pipeline, coastal sump, pretreatment interfaces, and brine-return system under changing marine conditions.
  • Post-commissioning brine-dispersion, marine water-quality, intake-impingement or entrainment, and environmental-monitoring results against the approved operating basis.
  • Final completion, integrated acceptance, commercial-operation certification, BOOT service commencement, and the evidence boundary between contractor commissioning and owner reliance.

Metric observations

Measurements and reporting gaps

First-water milestone reported

Integrated route proof

Water reaching the Radomiro Tomic reservoir demonstrates a connected route through treatment and long-distance pumping, while the source explicitly keeps the system in progressive validation.

Construction evidence available

Marine-system readiness

The intake, submarine pipeline, coastal sump, and brine-return scope are documented, while the reviewed public sources provide no accepted operating-availability or post-commissioning marine-monitoring record.

Evidence pending

Hydraulic and power reliability

Three pumping stations, five substations, more than 160 kilometres of conveyance, and a roughly 3,000-metre lift define the challenge, but no sustained flow or outage series is public.

Progressive validation reported

Delivery quality

Hydraulic tests and technical checks are reported, while accepted water-quality, pressure, volume, defect-closeout, and all-division distribution records remain unavailable.

Not established

Commercial operation

The reviewed sources support construction and commissioning progress, not final completion, commercial-operation certification, sustained BOOT service, or mature operating performance.

Subject index

Related subjects

These subject pages bring together related projects, technical articles, reports, and evidence methods.

Related project evidence

The project page maps the marine works, treatment, power, pumping, pipeline, reservoir, BOOT structure and expansion scope. Its companion brief follows acceptance from seawater intake and brine return through reverse osmosis, substations, pumping, conveyance, storage and mine distribution.

Open project record Read related intelligence brief Explore performance evidence

Sources used

Source collections

Record limitations

The record is limited to the cited public evidence and does not confer certification, ranking, warranty, safety or environmental approval, recognition, or procurement endorsement.

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