Chile Timeline

In 1888, John Simon "Si" Fluor emigrated from Switzerland to America in search of challenges and opportunity. He previously trained as a journeyman carpenter in the Swiss guild and brought with him the ethos that system embodied — a reverence for craftsmanship and the ambition to build structures that would outlast the builder.

In 1912, Mr. Fluor founded Fluor Construction Company in Santa Ana, California, leading the company until his death in 1944. Fluor Construction Company performed general contracting at the start and quickly gained a reputation for quality and innovation.

In 1967, Fluor completed the caustic chlorine study for Petroquimica Chilena LTDA.

Fluor Chile S.A. officially began operations in Chile. The Santiago office, established in 1978, has since become one of the nation's largest specialized engineering and construction companies.

Fluor provided engineering, procurement, construction management and start-up services to Compañía Minera El Indio for gold, silver and copper processing facilities at a site 14,000 feet up in the Chilean Andes.

Fluor engineered an expansion to the El Teniente SAG Mill Expansion. The engineering encompassed an addition of a 25,000 tpd module to the Colon concentrator.

Fluor provided conceptual studies, route selection, and design and construction consulting services to Yacimientos Petroliferos Fiscales, S.A. (YPF) and Empresa Nacional del Petróleo, Chile (ENAP) for the 265-mile Trans-Andean oil pipeline through Argentina and Chile.

Minera Escondida Ltda. operates the Escondida mine and copper concentrator located in the Atacama desert 160 km. southeast of the port of Antofagasta in northern Chile and the concentrate dewatering and ship-loading facilities at their port in Coloso, south of Antofagasta. Fluor completed the original grass roots Los Colorados copper concentrator project and subsequently provided a full range of services on expansion projects at the site. Phase I and II expansions raised the mine and concentrator capacity to 60,000 tpd by the end of 1994.

Minera Yanacocha S.R.L. (MYSRL) was the largest gold producer in Latin America and represented Perú’s first large-scale heap-leaching operation in 1995. MYSRL consisted of several mine pits, gold recovery plants and leach pads. As part of a global alliance with Newmont, Fluor provided engineering, procurement, construction and maintenance services for a series of expansions, upgrades and maintenance at Yanacocha.

Fluor designed and managed the construction of Lagoven's revamp of two 90,000-BPSD HDS units, and the replacement and reconfiguration of four reactors. In order to accomplish this project extensive photogrammetry was used.

Fluor provided feasibility study and complete EPCM services for a 125,000 tpy oxide leach/SX–EW facility, including a 54,000 tpd crushing and screening plant, materials handling, heap leaching and ancillaries. Project completed ahead of schedule and under budget in 1998.

Fluor provided engineering, procurement, survey, construction, and maintenance services to ARCO/AGIP for the development of the Villano field in a virgin Ecuadorian rain forest. The project involved production facilities and an export pipeline for 30,000 bpd crude oil development.

TLA was the first energy infrastructure project of its kind in Latin America. It included the delivery of liquefied natural gas (LNG) to a receiving terminal from specially designed vessels.

The project includes two 150,000 cubic meter full-containment tanks for LNG storage, LNG re-gasification facilities, and short pipelines to connect to the existing natural gas pipelines systems in Tamaulipas.

Fluor performed engineering, procurement, construction management and precommissioning of the $980 million project for Codelco, the world's largest producer of copper. The project demonstrated the efficacy of Codelco's joint team approach.

It was completed within budget and in 22 months – considered an industry record for engineering, procurement and construction management of a major SX/EW plant.

Fluor celebrated its 30th anniversary in Chile. The Santiago office is Fluor's headquarters in South America. During this time, the company has been actively involved in the development of copper, gold, silver, and molybdenum projects, in both local and regional markets.

Fluor provided project management and construction management services for all six planned phases of this mixed-use development on more than 500 acres.

The vertical construction includes multiple parking structures, retail centers, multi-story commercial office buildings, and schools.

The project involves the exploitation of the Starfish and North West Dolphin Gas Fields, located adjacent to the existing Dolphin “A”’ Platform and Dolphin Deep subsea production facilities, approximately 84 kilometers offshore from the Beachfield Gas Terminal on the island of Trinidad. Starfish is a ground-breaking project that would allow BG and Fluor to introduce the most effective combination of fabrication and construction activities to perform work onshore, offshore, during shutdowns and off shutdowns.

Fluor funded the construction of better facilities for the Hare-Poki Center in Santiago, Chile to assist their efforts in providing care and assistance for abused children in the community. “Fluor’s donation for the construction of this physical space is tremendously meaningful. This is really evident in the reactions of the kids who walk in here and are in a comfortable space,” said Lidia Massardo, Director of the Hare-Poki Center.

ICA Fluor began the Fenix project by determining the project definitions and scope, developing a ROM estimate for each plant, and supplying all equipment and most of the bulk materials to support the goal of AHMSA to increase its steel production by 40 percent. Additionally, ICA Fluor was awarded the engineering, procurement, and construction scopes for the new plant.

The AHMSA Fenix project received Fluor's 2014 Hugh Coble Project Excellence. The award is based on outstanding performance in several areas; including safety, value creation, and client and community relations.

The ICA Fluor joint venture was awarded a contract by TAG Pipelines Sur S. De R.L. de C.V. for the Ramones II Sur Gas Pipeline project in Mexico. The pipeline will be built through the states of San Luis Potosi, Queretaro, and Guanajuato in Mexico. ICA Fluor will provide engineering, procurement, construction, testing, commissioning, and start-up services on the project.