MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Norwegian company suspends energy project in Chile

Norwegian energy company SN Power recently agreed to temporarily suspend activities on its southern Chile Region XIV hydroelectric project due to vocal opposition from local indigenous groups.

The proposed construction, tentatively set to begin in 2013, would generate roughly 580 megawatts of electricity by diverting water from a number of local rivers into subterranean canals at a cost of 600 million US dollars. While the project calls for neither dams nor reservoirs, four "Low Impact Centers" or plants would be erected in the communities of Lago Ranco, Futrono y Panguipulli. Roughly 520 miles south of Santiago, the project would be located near Valdivia, a major metropolitan area, as well as a large rural Mapuche population. But initial information gathering activities were put on hold following a recent meeting between Nils Huseby, SN Power Vice President for Latin America, and Pedro Antimilla, a representative of the Mapuche communities of Coñaripe and Liquiñe and member of the Mesa Pellaifa Newen. During a seminar in Oslo, Norway, last month Mr. Antimilla suggested that the project would constitute an intervention in Mapuche territories, interfere with Mapuche-operated tourism, and threaten the surrounding environment. "SN power has not listened to [Mapuche] opinions ? It obtained electrical concessions? and bought mineral rights without consulting us," he claimed. Additionally, Antimilla expressed concern over the actual construction of the 300 feet-deep tunnels, which could potentially pollute adjacent rivers with excess sediment and toxins. "This new model of hydroelectric power has fewer environmental impacts," says Esteban Llanes, Manager of Land and Concessions at SN Power Chile. Llanes further noted that the decision to temporarily suspend activities was motivated by a desire to share information and "allow people in the affected communities to have a chance to submit petitions" on the subject. According to a recent letter from Huseby to Antimilla, published on a Pellaifa Newen blog, SN Power has affirmed its promise to suspend activities in the region until a larger meeting between the company and the affected communities can take place at the end of this month. The debate presented in this exchange has become increasingly typical in recent years, as Chile's growing hydroelectric industry continues to develop at odds with local indigenous and environmental communities. The Santiago Times