The Lot 2 segment of the Riachuelo System, an infrastructure initiative in Buenos Aires, Argentina, is approaching its final stages.
This wastewater treatment development is led by Fisia Italimpianti, a subsidiary of construction company Webuild Group, which specialises in water treatment and desalination.
The Lot 2 work is being undertaken on behalf of Argentina’s state-owned company Agua y Saneamientos Argentinos and includes the construction of one of the world’s largest wastewater treatment plants.
Recent weeks have seen the completion of technical testing and full completion is anticipated by the end of May this year, with 95% of the project currently concluded.
The Riachuelo System is said to be the largest of its kind in South America.
Once complete, it is set to improve sanitary conditions for more than 4.3 million people across 14 municipalities in Buenos Aires and extend sewer access to an additional 1.5 million residents.
The project’s social and environmental benefits have helped it garner support from the World Bank.
The work is split into three segments, with Webuild having already concluded Lot 3. Together with Fisia Italimpianti, which holds a 65% stake in the consortium with Acciona, it is finalising Lot 2.
Lot 3 included the construction of 12km of the main tunnel that functions as the discharge channel for the wastewater treatment plant.
The tunnel, excavated 40m below the riverbed, has an internal diameter of 4.3m. It is built to channel treated water at a rate of 27 cubic metres per second.
A key aspect of the project is its diffuser system, which includes 34 steel pipes known as ‘risers’. Each riser, just under 1m in diameter, extends vertically to the riverbed to ensure the dispersion of treated water.
Webuild’s projects extend beyond Argentina. In the US, the company is finalising the Northeast Boundary Tunnel in Washington, D.C., and has completed Lake Mead’s Hydraulic Tunnel No. 3.
In Tajikistan, Webuild is constructing the Rogun Dam, and in Ethiopia, it leads the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam project. In Australia, meanwhile, the company is working on the Snowy 2.0 hydroelectric project.
Earlier this month, Lane, Webuild Group’s US subsidiary, reached a milestone in the 495 Express Lanes Northern Extension project in Virginia, US, with the installation of key steel girders.
