HidroAysén

Our “everyday routine” seems to be well established here. So rather than discussing the details of our apartment view, computer frustrations, and the contents of our lunchboxes, I thought I’d post an update on our newly adopted country.

Last Monday a panel of 12 men voted to approve the plans for building five hydroelectric dams on two Patagonian rivers – Rios Baker and Pascua. It is referred to as “Hidro Aysén” because it will be constructed in the Aysén region of Chile. It has taken years to complete the environmental reviews, and thus, this vote marked the end of a long and arduous process. Clearly, I have not been here for the bulk of the fight, but over the past week I have gathered a cursory understanding of the debate.

The rivers which will be dammed are highly renown for their whitewater, are major drivers of the tourism in the region, and are stunningly beautiful. They have inspired a very large and well organized protest movement, known as “Patagonia sin represas” (Patagonia without dams) and even here in Santiago, 2,300 km away, you will see this slogan graffitied on walls and hand-painted on banners. And that was before the vote last week.

Since the governmental panel approved the environmental review process and voted to allow the project there have been daily protests in Santiago. The government has replied to these protests with a surprisingly swift and harsh response. Both TV and print media have shown images of protesters running from tear gas and water hoses, and caravans of “paddy-wagons” waiting in the wings to take protesters to prison. Take a look at the pictures of a mini-protest we have posted here and imagine the same scene but with 30,000 people trying to march to the government offices.

The newspapers have said that since the vote, public opposition to the dams has risen to roughly 73%, and seems to be increasing every day. The people see this as a political move, designed to enrich politicians and their friends, and pushed through with hasty decision-making. The government says that Chile is in a critical position, and desperately needs more energy produced in-country. Opponents grant that this is true, but that dams are an outdated technology with immense environmental damage. They also argue that this project will put 80% of the energy generation in the hands of two sister companies and will result in a monopoly and increased prices.

Details of the power-plan also include a “separate” project (read separate environmental review process) which will construct a highway of powerlines running 3200km (2,000mi) from the dams to the northern end of the country. This chain of towers will deliver energy to nine regions along the way, and ultimately to the mining industry – Chile’s primary economic driver. The planning and permitting of this has not yet occurred, but a preliminary projection has suggested the lines might run through six national parks and eight indigenous regions, and is likely to cost $3.8 billion US dollars. Yeah, with a “b”. To put this in prospective, the five dams are expected to cost $3.2 billion.

This Saturday president Piñera will be giving his equivalent of the State of the Union address. There are major protests planned for Friday night, and people expect them to be the biggest ones yet. So keep your eyes on the news, because this issue has been getting international press. And don’t worry about us – we will be safely tucked away in a desert hideout for the weekend. More on that next time.