MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency
Chile approves massive coal mining project in extreme south Patagonia
The controversial Isla Riesco coal-mining project in the extreme south of Chile took another step forward last Friday when a high-level government commission gave final approval to the first of five mines, Mina Invierno. Read full article
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Disclaimer & comment rulesSomething must be told about the coal based energy production in Chile. First, along the 20 years leftist Gvt. were approved 67 thermal plant for energy production, the most coal based....Second, Chile has a very low gas reserves but a high coal reserves, so it means replacemnet of imports, jobs and incomes for the locals.....Third, from the 19th century we have been extracting coal very, very near to the new project, without enviromental damages as the main mine (Pecket) is side by side with the biggest penguin site and big sheep farms....Fourth, The huemul deer lives very far from the mine site, on the high mountains at the western extreme of the island, were the polution will not arrive due the predominant winds in the area, as well as the wales lives near to the Carlos III island were the polution will not arrive (from Pecket never has been a problem and this project hadn´t an enviromental study because on those times when it started it weren´t required). The condor and the puma lives all around the Chilean Patagonia, and the area to be afected is a small part of it.....Fifth, the enviromental requirements for the approval ask a restitution of the mine sites to the nearest to the original condition, so the the matter is the acomplshing of the Mine Closure Law....and sixth and final, the enviromental fundamentalist Sara larrain has never been on the future mine site so she is not allowed to speak for us, the inhabitants of the Chilean Patagonia´s Region of Magallanes and Chilean Antarctica. We are the who can decide if the project is good or not for us......nobody living in the poluted capital city far away from us....We, the most of the Magallanes inhabitants, are very happy with the start of the project in a very near future, so well done Gvt....!!! At last you´r working for us....!!!!
Aug 16th, 2011 - 07:02 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Good comments, Sergio,
Aug 17th, 2011 - 03:47 pm - Link - Report abuse 0but my guess is that the coal enterprise is more environmentally damaging than a hydroelectric scheme.
My vote goes for the 'no/low carbon' scheme,
but I know human nature will drive Chileans to the 'high carbon/high sulphur, polluting ' option.
Good to see jobs & wealth coming to southern Chile.
Aug 18th, 2011 - 09:22 am - Link - Report abuse 0Commenting for this story is now closed.
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