A panel of Chilean Cabinet ministers voted unanimously on Tuesday to reject the 3.2 billion dollars HidroAysen mega-project, which envisioned the construction of five power-generating dams in the environmentally sensitive Patagonia region.
A Chilean appeals court in Puerto Montt voted 3 to 1 to reject seven lawsuits brought against the proposed controversial HidroAysén hydroelectric mega-dam approved by the Chilean government on May 9 of this year.
A Chilean court on Monday ordered the suspension of a project to build a complex of five hydroelectric dams in the Patagonian wilderness, bowing to appeals by lawmakers and environmental groups.
Citizens protested on the streets of 27 Chilean cities on Saturday. The demonstrations were strategically planned to coincide with President Sebastián Piñera’s annual May 21 speech. In many areas, peaceful demonstrations morphed into violent riots.
Following Monday’s questionable approval of Chile’s major HidroAysén dam project - a jerry-rigged vote if there ever was one - the administration of President Sebastian Piñera turned police loose on thousands of demonstrators protesting the Patagonia dam project later that evening.
Chile approved on Monday the construction of a hydroelectric project that would flood Patagonian valleys and become the country’s biggest power generator, sparking violent protests.