Fluor provided engineering, procurement, and construction management (EPCm) services to Southern Peru Copper Corporation (SPCC) for a first-of-its-kind modernization project, considered the largest environmental project ever completed in Peru at the time.

Fluor provided EPCm services to SPCC to modernize an existing copper smelter operation and provide upgrades at SPCC's site at Ilo, Peru. This first-of-its-kind smelter modernization project resulted in the smelter successfully complying with Peruvian government emission regulations. The project provided a positive environmental impact by not only reducing the sulfur dioxide emissions but also by significantly reducing the fuel consumption of the smelter.

The project involved an Isamelt™ furnace, new acid plant, new oxygen plant, anode casting wheel, water treatment plant and associated infrastructure. The entire existing Peirce-Smith converters' gas handling, dust handling and gas cleaning systems were upgraded to improve sulfur recovery and improve environmental performance.

The Ilo facility was South America's first copper smelter to use Isamelt technology by Xstrata, a modern bath-smelting process for the production of non-ferrous metals. SPCC contracted Xstrata to engineer the Isamelt furnace and to perform selected engineering needed by Fluor for related equipment. SPCC also owned and operated plants at Cuajone and Toquepala in Peru, which fed copper concentrate to the Ilo smelter.

We executed home office engineering and procurement services from our Santiago office. We then provided 100% construction management, managing all site construction contracts. 3,500 new jobs were generated, with half of the personnel coming from the Province of Ilo.