16th to 20th October 2023, the Norwegian team of experts visited the Andina Mining Project (Codelco). This was our 4th visit and we focus on starting collaborative activities on project level. This time, we also hosted a workshop on safety and met authorities and important stakeholders in Chile. All part of a collaboration to share knowledge and experience and follow up business opportunities Chile.
At this visit we followed up the dialog on how principles of Norwegian tunnelling can be implemented in Chilean projects and discussed implementing cost-effective tunnelling in the mining industry through innovation projects (pilots). We also presented the Norwegian approach in planning of road infrastructure and discussed new ideas for Route 7 in the southern part of Chile (the Carretera Austral), including use of long subsea tunnels.
A working group, consisting of relevant experts from Norway and Chile is investigating how principles of Norwegian tunnelling can be implemented in Chilean projects.
Photo: Arild Petter Sovik, Norwegian Tunnelling Network (visit to Andina Mining Project (3.700 msl), Codelco, 18th October 2023)
Technical notes are delivered and we will carry out a full report, forming the basis for a pilot in the chilean tunnelling industry. We discussed the possibilities of a pilot project in a Codelco project and presented the Norwegian approach, using examples and recent experiences from Norway.
Workshop on HSE in construction in Santiago
With the presence of more than 80 attendees, October 17th, the Tunnel Construction Safety Workshop was successfully held at the InterContinental Chile hotel and available via Zoom, organized by the Chilean Corporation of Tunnels and Underground Spaces (CTES-Chile) and the Norwegian Tunneling Network (NTN).
The participants was welcomed by the ambassador of Norway, Jostein Leiro. Norway can point to long experience and many exciting projects that include the construction of the world's largest subsea tunnel, but has also a high development rate in tunnel construction in general. We are very focused on safety, but we are also concerned about issues connected to sustainability and the environment. A good reason for Norway and Chile to start collaborative activities, and part of this is the High Potensial Opportunity prosjekt that started in 2021, and followed up with collaborative events like this in 2023.
Link to NTN article: https://www.norwegiantunnelling.com/post/ntn-ctes-hosted-workshop-on-safety-in-santiago
In October, we had also meetings with the Ministry of Public Works (MOP), The Council for Infrastructure Policies (CPI) and The Inter American Development Bank (IDB) and discussed long and short term infrastructure planning. We gave input on what we see as highly relevant alternatives for new connections for Route 7 in the southern part of Chile (the Carretera Austral), which also include the use of long subsea tunnels and effective ferry connections.
Photo: Arild Petter Sovik, Norwegian Tunnelling Network (visit to Puerto Montt, March 2023)
After a technical visit in March 2023, the Norwegian team have been working with the findings and new alternatives, south of Puerto Montt. In the meetings in October, we presented our findings, and showed relevant subsea tunnel project examples from Norway, but also how the Norwegian Ministry of Transport investigate and prepare alternatives for a political process and long term planning.