What DESSAU does

DESSAU (legal name: Dessau Ingeniería SpA) is a Chilean engineering services firm headquartered in Las Condes, Santiago, specializing in energy infrastructure, mining, and industrial electrical projects. The company provides multidisciplinary engineering across the full project lifecycle — conceptual, basic, and detail engineering, procurement support, construction management, and commissioning — for high-voltage transmission lines, electrical substations (66 kV to 500 kV AC and ±600 kV DC), power generation facilities (hydroelectric, thermal, and non-conventional renewable energy), and mining/industrial electrical and instrumentation systems. Its technology stack is built on BIM methodology, Smart Plant Foundation, 3D modeling, and PLS CADD for transmission line design, with cumulative track record of more than 10,000 km of transmission lines and 130+ substation projects designed.

The firm's commercial model is project-based B2B consulting, generating revenue through fixed-price contracts, time-and-materials engagements, and EPC/EPCM structures, plus independent technical inspection (ITO) services billed as multi-year professional services. GTM is driven by competitive bidding on public tenders and direct procurement from Chilean and Latin American energy and mining majors, augmented by project flow from parent company Sigdo Koppers Ingeniería y Construcción (SKIC), which acquired Dessau from Canadian parent Groupe Dessau Inc. in 2016. Key clients include Transelec, Codelco, BHP, Colbún, Engie, Abengoa, Antofagasta Minerals, and Eletrans across Chile, with international project execution in Colombia, Central America (SIEPAC), and Brazil via alliances.

The company is tri-certified under ISO 9001, ISO 14001, and ISO 45001 and emphasizes its role as a strategic partner throughout engineering phases rather than as a fragmented service vendor. Following the 2016 acquisition by SKIC, Dessau has expanded its scope from pure engineering consultancy into full EPC project execution, culminating in the 2021 award and 2022 alliance formation for the HVDC ±600 kV Kimal-Lo Aguirre transmission line project — one of Latin America's largest grid infrastructure undertakings. The firm operates as a private subsidiary within SKIC's diversified industrial group, with no external institutional investors, no public listing, and no disclosed revenue figures.

Name

DESSAU

Legal name

Dessau Ingeniería SpA

Website

https://dessau.cl

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

DESSAU is a Chilean engineering services firm specializing in high-voltage transmission, substations, power generation, and mining electrical and instrumentation systems, serving enterprise clients across Chile, Latin America, and Central America.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Energy Infrastructure Engineering Services

NAICS

Engineering Services (54133)

SIC

Services-Engineering Services (8711)

akta.pro primary industry

T&D project/program management & owner’s engineering (EPCM/PMC) (EUADAKAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Transmission line EPC & construction (overhead) (EUADAKAA), Construction Management & General Contracting (EPCM, Scheduling, QA/QC, HSE) (EUAMAFAJ), Wind Farm EPC & Balance of Plant Construction (Civil, Electrical, Substations) (EUAMACAF), Transmission Interconnection & Line Works (Gen-Tie Lines, Overhead/Underground Lines) (EUAMAFAF)

Keywords

• Engineering services
• Power transmission design
• Electrical substations
• Renewable energy engineering
• Mining electrical systems

Headquarters

HQ city

Las Condes

HQ country

Chile

HQ region

Latin America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Engineering Services: Dessau provides comprehensive engineering services across all project phases including conceptual, basic, and detail engineering for transmission lines, substations, generation facilities, and mining/industrial projects. Revenue is generated through fixed-price contracts, time-and-materials engagements, and EPC/EPCM contract structures.
2. Technical Inspection of Works (ITO): On-site technical inspection and quality control services for construction projects, representing clients in monitoring construction, factory testing, commissioning, and start-up. Billed as professional services under contractual agreements.
3. EPC Project Delivery: Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) management and execution, including detail engineering, procurement support, construction management, and commissioning. First EPC project executed was WP5 Spence Growth Option for SKIC/BHP in 2018.
4. Consulting and Due Diligence: Technical consulting, audits, expert opinions, and Due Diligence services for energy and mining infrastructure projects, including owner engineering (Owner's Engineering).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

DESSAU is an engineering services firm that designs and delivers energy infrastructure projects, specializing in high-voltage transmission lines (66 kV to ±600 kV DC), electrical substations (air-insulated, GIS, hybrid, and transformer), power generation facilities (hydroelectric, thermal, renewable), and mining/industrial electrical and instrumentation systems. The company provides end-to-end services across all project phases — conceptual, basic, and detail engineering, procurement support, construction management, commissioning, and independent technical inspection of works — under EPC/EPCM and professional services contract structures.

Product overview

DESSAU is an engineering and consulting company that operates as a unified service portfolio rather than a software platform. The company offers seven interconnected engineering service lines: (1) Ingeniería (core engineering services), (2) Líneas de Transmisión (transmission line design), (3) Subestaciones Eléctricas (electrical substation design), (4) Energías Renovables No Convencionales (renewable energy engineering), (5) Generación (power generation engineering), (6) Minería e Industrias (mining and industrial electrical/instrumentation engineering), and (7) Inspección Técnica de Obras (technical inspection services). These services are delivered by a multidisciplinary team with expertise in power transmission and generation, and the company is tri-certified under ISO 9001, ISO 14001, and ISO 45001. DESSAU operates as part of Sigdo Koppers Ingeniería y Construcción (SKIC), with over 20 years of experience in Chile and international markets.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• More than 10,000 km of transmission lines designed across voltage levels from 66 kV to ±600 kV DC
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers15 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Marte (Brazil)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Dessau formed an alliance with Marte (Brazil) and Óptima (Colombia) to jointly pursue the HVDC 600 kV Kimal-Lo Aguirre transmission line project in Chile. The alliance combines engineering expertise from three Latin American countries for the electromchanical detail engineering and design components of one of Latin America's largest transmission projects.
• Óptima (Colombia)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Dessau formed an alliance with Marte (Brazil) and Óptima (Colombia) to jointly pursue the HVDC 600 kV Kimal-Lo Aguirre transmission line project. The alliance combines Colombian engineering expertise with Chilean and Brazilian partners for the electromchanical detail engineering and design components of one of Latin America's largest transmission projects.
• Sigdo Koppers Ingeniería y Construcción (SKIC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016Since 2016, Dessau Chile Ingeniería S.A. has been owned by Sigdo Koppers Ingeniería y Construcción (SKIC), forming Dessau Ingeniería SpA as a subsidiary. SKIC acquired the main assets from the Canadian parent Groupe Dessau Inc. with the objective of increasing EPC execution capacity in the power generation and transmission sector. SKIC has over 60 years of experience operating in Chile, Peru, and Brazil.
• Ingeniería y Diseños INGEDISA and ANTEA Group (Colombia)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2014Dessau worked together with INGEDISA and ANTEA Group on the environmental licensing, detailed design, and land surveys for the Sogamoso-Norte (247 km) and Norte-Tequendama (131 km) 500 kV transmission lines in Colombia for Grupo de Energía de Bogotá. This was a trilateral collaboration bringing together engineering expertise from Chile and Colombia.
• Groupe Dessau Inc. (Canada)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2003Dessau Inc., a Canadian capital company with more than 40 years of experience in large-scale construction projects operating in more than 50 countries, acquired Ingentra in 2003 to consolidate its position in the energy market in Chile and the region. This acquisition established Dessau's presence in Chile under Canadian ownership until 2016 when assets were sold to SKIC.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• AtkinsRéalis: Global professional services and project management firm (formerly SNC-Lavalin) with an extensive Power & Nuclear practice delivering transmission, substation, and generation engineering. Overlaps with Dessau on T&D engineering and EPCM but operates at much larger scale and across many more end markets.
• Burns & McDonnell: US-based engineering, architecture, and construction firm with a major Transmission & Distribution practice delivering substation, transmission line, and owner's engineering services. Comparable to Dessau on T&D-focused engineering services, though serving a primarily North American client base.

Regional players

• Salfacorp: Chilean engineering and construction group with significant energy, mining, and industrial project capabilities, including electrical engineering and EPCM services. Directly comparable to Dessau as a Chilean-headquartered competitor in mining and energy infrastructure engineering, competing for many of the same local tenders.

Direct peers

• WSP Global: Global engineering consultancy with a strong Power & Energy practice covering transmission line and substation design, owner's engineering, and EPCM services. Directly comparable to Dessau in service mix and the way it serves utility and mining clients, though operating at a much larger global scale.
• Tractebel (Engie): Engineering consultancy owned by Engie with deep expertise in power generation, transmission, and renewable energy project design and owner's engineering. Comparable to Dessau in the way it integrates generation and grid engineering under one roof and serves utility and IPP clients across multiple continents.
• Worley: Engineering and project delivery specialist focused on energy, chemicals, and resources, with deep capabilities in power transmission, substations, and renewable energy. Highly comparable to Dessau on the energy infrastructure and mining project services it delivers, particularly across Latin America and other resource-rich geographies.
• AFRY: European-headquartered engineering and design firm (formerly ÅF and Pöyry) with a strong Power and Hydropower practice delivering transmission, substation, and renewable generation engineering. Overlaps with Dessau's hydropower, HVDC transmission, and renewable owner's engineering portfolio, with comparable EPCM and owner's engineering delivery models.
• Stantec: North American-headquartered engineering firm with a significant Power and Energy practice delivering transmission, substation, and generation engineering services. Closely mirrors Dessau's full-lifecycle engineering model from feasibility through commissioning, and actively pursues Latin American energy and mining opportunities.
• IDOM: Independent employee-owned engineering firm headquartered in Spain with a strong Latin American presence delivering transmission, substations, and renewable generation engineering. Closely comparable to Dessau in client mix (utilities, IPPs, miners), service scope, and the way it operates as a multi-disciplinary consultancy on complex infrastructure.

Emerging players

• Electroconsult: Independent Italian engineering consultancy specialized in electrical transmission, substations, and HVDC systems with growing activity in Latin America. Comparable to Dessau in its niche focus on EHV/HVDC engineering and is a credible emerging competitor for cross-border HVDC projects such as Kimal-Lo Aguirre.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCz_B7kQP5cQ7cqVpw11KcnA
• Facebookfacebook.com/sigdokoppers.skic
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/dessau-ingenier%C3%ADa
• Instagraminstagram.com/sigdokoppers.skic

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about DESSAU