HidroAysén
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HidroAysén is a joint venture project of ENDESA and Colbún S.A. to build five hydroelectric power plants, two on the Baker and three on the Pascua River of Aysén Region, Chile.
The complex would have an installed capacity of 2,750 MW and a capacity of 18,430 GWh average annual energy, becoming the largest energy project that has been studied in the country to date. By 2020, the project would cover 21% of the demand of the Central Interconnected System (SIC).
The project includes the construction of a transmission line to carry the electricity 1,200 miles north, from the Aysen region to Santiago, to be injected into the Central Interconnected System through a high-tension transmission line line that has an underwater stretch between the towns of Chaiten and the city of Puerto Montt.
The investment is estimated at about U.S.$ 3,200 million for the dams [1] and an additional U.S.$ 2,000 million for the line.
A number of local, national and international environmental organizations oppose the dams, claiming they would destroy the natural heritage of the area and would lead to greatly increased electrical costs for Chilean consumers. Other concerns cover the region's geography, natural seismic activity and catastrophic floods [2] have also called for attention. [3]
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