I’m very proud of projects like this. Not only are we using technology to improve lives, we are working together as trusted teammates. In the end, we aren’t just building networks, we’re building bonds. That’s important to my team and my customers, and that’s why I value working with Ciena. Manuel Fernandez Pollán, Adexus General Manager
Yes it can. With the right partnership and technology, a mine saves valuable fresh water for millions of Chileans.
From the start, Adexus, a Ciena partner and one of South America’s largest systems integrators, knew the critical importance of this assignment. A mining company wanted to utilize seawater for production in order to conserve critical freshwater supplies in northern Chile. Because the ocean is 200km away, the company needed an extremely low-latency network capable of controlling and monitoring its distributed pumping equipment—and downtime was not an option. It was estimated that any disruptions in production would cost the company up to $7 million a day.
The challenge
Even with Adexus’ deep experience in the mining sector, there are always challenges. The mine is located in one of the driest deserts in the world where temperatures plummet from 33°C in the day to -10°C at night─with no commercial electricity across large stretches of the 200km. At 2,500 meters, altitude was a challenge. And as always, deadlines were very tight.
Extreme temperatures
33°
-10°
Soaring elevations
2500
metersLimited electricity
Extraordinary outcomes
But together, the Adexus and Ciena teams delivered a network that met all performance, cost and timing requirements. For Adexus, the project was a testament to the outcomes that can be achieved when technology comes together with a fervent belief in working closely with one another on behalf of the customer.
An operation connected
Today, the entire mining operation is connected: corporate offices in Santiago de Chile, the central pumping station, the entire distributed pumping infrastructure, even the cameras at the mine’s key production sites. By leveraging the network, the mine was able to lower costs as well as preserve fresh water, which is desperately needed for personal and agricultural use. As a second act, the network is now primed to support additional mining sites and emerging technologies such as remote mining devices─making miners’ jobs safer. And to Manuel Fernandez Pollán, that’s the kind of outcome that makes it all worthwhile.
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