HidroAysén
HidroAysén is a project which contemplates the construction and operations of five hydroelectric power plants, two in Baker River and three in Pascua River, located in Aysen Region, in the south of Chile.
The complex would have an installed power of 2750 MW and a capacity of 18.430GWh of media annual energy, whose investment is estimated in US$ 3.200 millions, becoming the most important energetic project studied in that country so far. According to the responsible company, by 2020 the project could cover 21% of the Central Interconnected System (SIC) demand.[1] The project’s construction contemplates one transmission line which will transport the energy from the Aysen’s region to Santiago, to be injected to the SIC through a continuous direct current line which has one submarine section between Chaitén and Puerto Montt townships.
The administration of Hidroaysen is in charge of an Anonymous Society formed by the most big and important companies electricity generators in the country: ENDESA and Colbún S.A. ; they participate in the society is 51% and 49% of the shares, respectively.[2] With this project, both companies will concentrate 80% of the country's electricity generation, establishing a duopoly of the Chilean electric energy market.[3]
The project was approved on May 9th, 2011 by Sebastián Piñera Government authorities.[4] The decision was taken by 11 counsellors, in which 10 votes was in favor and only one abstention.[5] However, 27 days earlier the Foreign Investment Comitee already knew the decision, before the entire country.[6]
This decision was repudiated by a large part of the Chilean citizenship. Several street protests were developed all over the country after the news was made public.[7][8] The main retractors hope to initiate legal actions against the project, and have assured that the public demonstrations will be massive.[9]
The project’s planning was not free of a strong criticism from environmentalists, and also from the Aysén’s Region population and all the rest of the country. In April, 2011, the HidroAysén project already counted an increasing rejection of 61% from the citizenship, despite the enormous advertising campaign the responsible had made to revert, without succeeding, these results.[10]
References
- ^ "Hidroaysén" (in Spanish). Retrieved April 29th, 2009.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help) - ^ "HidroAysén retoma trámite ambiental y entrega adenda con respuestas" (in Spanish). April 11th, 2011. Retrieved April 23th, 2011.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=and|date=(help); Unknown parameter|editorial=ignored (help) - ^ Elvinculodigital.com (May 10th, 2011). "Aprobado polémico megaproyecto hidroeléctrico en la Patagonia chilena" (in Spanish). Retrieved May 11th, 2011.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=and|date=(help) - ^ "Biobío Chile: Autoridades aprueban proyecto hidroeléctrico HidroAysén" (in Spanish). May 9th, 2011.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "Biobío Chile: Conoce los votos de quienes participaron en la aprobación del proyecto HidroAysén" (in Spanish). 9 de mayo de 2011.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Biobíochile.cl (May 11th, 2011). "HidroAysén: Comité de Inversiones Extranjeras anticipó hace un mes la aprobación" (in Spanish). Retrieved May 11, 2011.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "Biobío Chile: Organizan diversas protestas en el país por aprobación de HidroAysén" (in Spanish). 9 de mayo de 2011.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "Biobío Chile: Violentos incidentes se producen en las afueras del SEA luego de aprobación de HidroAysén" (in Spanish). May 9th, 2011.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "Biobío Chile: Batalla judicial anticipan detractores de HidroAysén" (in Spanish). May 10th, 2011.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "Ambientalistas destacan creciente rechazo a HidroAysén pese a enorme campaña publicitaria" (in Spanish). April 18th, 2011. Retrieved April 21th, 2011.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=and|date=(help)
External links
- News
- May, Catalina (12 May 2011). "Chile dams will bring social and environmental destruction". Guardian.