MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency
Chile’s largest energy project left on hold because of electoral debate
A controversial plan to power central Chile by damming Patagonian rivers is doable, the project's head said dismissing criticism from leading presidential candidate Michelle Bachelet that HidroAysen is not viable. Read full article
Comments
Disclaimer & comment rulesWould this affect argentine patagonias side,
Jun 25th, 2013 - 06:22 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Good Mami…….
Jun 25th, 2013 - 06:40 pm - Link - Report abuse 0If the Santiago Parvenus need electricity so badly; let then construct a Nuclear Central at Santa María de Manquehue or Jardin del Este……………
Two of the dams would on the Rio Baker (by Cochrane).
Jun 25th, 2013 - 06:49 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Three of them would be on the Rio Pascua (south of Tortel, and way remote).
None would affect Argentinan waters.
I think this future presidential candidate is taking this stance to keep from turning away votes. Many Chilenos are against this project and these are the words they would want to hear.
Another Chileno poster on this site said if she were elected she would re-instate this project quickly.
The current president's support for this project are summed up in his words, “Es necessario”.
It is the aesthetic impact of the power lines that is concerning most people. That part of Chile is remote, and wild, and beeeautiful!
The folks in Patagonia Chile are mostly against this. The current government's feelings on this project are summed up by the president's words, “Es necessario”.
1 Briton
Jun 25th, 2013 - 07:30 pm - Link - Report abuse 0No.
2 Think
Will you be protesting against the two dams in Santa Cruz and proposing a nuclear plant for BA?
PS: Your friends Quilapayún were in town this weekend. Great concert.
3 bushpilot
You are right. It is election year and she is saying what many want to hear. The serious debate will begin after the election.
The copper price is winding down now and as it gets closer to the break-even point the pressure will increase on whatever government is in power to bring energy costs down.
Someone said, not going ahead with HidroAysen would be like have immense oil fields and not tapping them. That resonates with me. I hope we can have a proper debate after the election.
4 Condorito
Jun 25th, 2013 - 07:40 pm - Link - Report abuse 0You say...:
“Will you be protesting against the two dams in Santa Cruz and proposing a nuclear plant for BA?”
I say...:
I am protesting against the two dams in Santa Cruz and we already have two nuclear plants just north of Buenos Aires.
5 Think
Jun 25th, 2013 - 09:55 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Glad that you are consistent on the dams.
Will you be pushing for a 3rd nuclear power station, in Estadio Alberto J. Armando maybe.
You wish. Gayinero available in nuñez for that.
Jun 26th, 2013 - 03:23 am - Link - Report abuse 0Nice to hear from Condorito on the subject, after all it is his country and his people's decision, be nice to hear from Chicureo and other Chilean contributors on the subject.
Jun 26th, 2013 - 03:17 pm - Link - Report abuse 0My personal view is that in the short term the construction creates jobs.
In the long term it addresses some of Chiles energy demands.
Last of not least, Hydro Electric power carries the least risk and causes the least damage to the environment. If Patagonia does not want unsightly overhead cables, bury them!
In the end though, the decision is down to the Chileans.
Think!
Given the choice between an hydro electric solution or nuclear power, I would choose the former every time. How about you?
If they don't like the transmission lines let them build a windmill farm near Santiago to give them 2.75GW.
Jun 26th, 2013 - 06:13 pm - Link - Report abuse 0At 2MW each and the average 8% efficiency they only need 3,750 windmills.
There might be a number (ha, ha) of days when they get ZERO power, but heh, it's green (or not if you really know what windmills are).
That is about as sensible as NOT proceeding with this project.
RC
Jun 26th, 2013 - 07:02 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Nuclear power is a big no-no in the world’s most seismically active country.
Chris
We have the space for thousands of windmills, but what I would like to see is massive arrays of mirrors focusing the sun’s rays on to steam turbines. In most of the inland areas of the north you can guarantee 320 days of cloudless sky...oodles of endless energy!
Or with a wider pan-American integrationist approach...we could put the glorious-and-never-defeated Chilean armed forces to good use, annexing southern Bolivia giving our Bolivian brothers access to the sea; us access to our Bolivian gas fields and Paraguay’s hydro electricity access to a reliable customer...everyone benefits!
@10
Jun 26th, 2013 - 07:08 pm - Link - Report abuse 0You know that, I know that.
Someone should have the Japanese though!
11 RC
Jun 26th, 2013 - 07:30 pm - Link - Report abuse 0You’re right, but they really should have known.
I would only support a nuclear power plant in Chile if it were to be build in a remote part of the desert on top of the world’s largest slab of reinforced concrete AND that all waste would be shipped to the Bay of Biscay and dumped. French protest would be met with a shrug and a pout.
12 Condorito
Jun 26th, 2013 - 09:14 pm - Link - Report abuse 0No-one in their right mind would put a nuclear reactor ANYWHERE on the west of Chile, even a little diddy non power INVAP one.
Thinking about the cracks INVAP built-in with the Aussie one ESPECIALLY not an INVAP one.
LOLs
Think and I generally agree about this issue, even though he has Marxist/Peronist views and I tend to vote for Renovación Nacional candidates.
Jun 27th, 2013 - 12:24 am - Link - Report abuse 0Bachelet bears responsibility for the creation and approval of the HidroAysén project despite a large segment of Chileans from all political parties strongly against it. The power is mostly for the mining sector and is absolutely absurd.
I suggest you view http://www.internationalrivers.org/campaigns/patagonia-sin-represas
Besides solar, hydro, geothermal, wind and conventional power generation, I think it's only a matter of time before Chile considers a safe alternative to nuclear power, such as Lockheed Martin’s fusion power project; Flibe Energy’s thorium-fueled molten salt reactor; or TerraPower’s “fast reactor”... All are at least 25 years away...
In the meantime, we definitely do not need to even consider nuclear as sesmicly Chile is very unsuitable.
Condorito: instead of Bolivia, which is full of Bolivians (think about that...), I suggest we rightfully reclaim our lawful illegally occupied territory of Patagonia. Taking land from the Bolivians would be theft, where as pushing out the Italian colonists from Argentina would be completely legal, as so proven by their own arguments. We have the international credit to finance the energy reserves there.
Reality Check: Unemployment is not really a problem as there are many new national projects already planned for the future.
@14 Chicureo
Jun 27th, 2013 - 10:58 am - Link - Report abuse 0I like your style!
The argies are probably at their weakest militarily and are a bunch of cowards anyway as proved by 3 Para and 42 Commando in 1982 and things have only got worse for them since than.
But would Bachelet go for it and can Chile afford it?
Now that would be something to look forward to.
14 Chicureo
Jun 27th, 2013 - 06:42 pm - Link - Report abuse 0“pushing out the Italian colonists from Argentina would be completely legal, as so proven by their own arguments.” - yes, this is a good point.
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