"ALTO MAIPO Hydroelectric Project" (PHAM) of AES GENER and Luksic group is intended to channel the water of the main river that supplies water to the Capital city of Chile, Santiago. The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) signed a $195 million loan agreement with Alto Maipo Spa, owned by AES Gener (60 percent) and Antofagasta Minerals (40 percent), as part of a financing package of more than $1.2 billion for the Alto Maipo Hydroelectric Project. The project is cofinanced by the International Finance Corporation, the U.S. Overseas Private Investment Corporation and six commercial banks. The total project cost will be roughly $2 billion, 60 percent in the form of debt and the remaining 40 percent in equity. |
Description:
Basic Data
| Name of conflict: | ALTO MAIPO Hydroelectric Project (PHAM), Chile |
| Country: | Chile |
| State or province: | Provincia Cordillera, Región Metropolitana |
| Location of conflict: | Cajon del Maipo (High Maipo River Watershed), Comuna de San José de Maipo, Santiago. |
| Accuracy of location | HIGH (Local level) |
Source of Conflict
| Type of conflict. 1st level: | Water Management |
| Type of conflict. 2nd level: | Water access rights and entitlements Transport infrastructure networks (roads, railways, hydroways, canals and pipelines) Dams and water distribution conflicts Building materials extraction (quarries, sand, gravel) |
| Specific commodities: | Land Electricity Water |
Project Details and Actors
| Project details | The associated infrastructure involves (among others): 2 run-of-the-river centrals; 70 km of an abduction tunnel of 6-8 mt. in diameter; 4 water intakes; several siphons; one electrical substation; power transmission lines; charging cameras; 14 marine stockpile sites; use of trains, Tolva lorries, TBM machines, etc., etc. The installed project capacity is 530 MW but the actual power generation capacity is 160 MW. This energy will go integrally to Minera Los Pelambres (Luksic group) in the north of Chile. |
| Level of Investment for the conflictive project | 900,000,000 |
| Type of population | Semi-urban |
| Affected Population: | 7,000,000 |
| Start of the conflict: | 06/05/2007 |
| Company names or state enterprises: | ANTOFAGASTA MINERALS (Grupo Luksic) from Chile Aguas Andinas from Chile AES Gener from Chile |
| International and Finance Institutions | Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) from United States of America Inter-American Development Bank (IADB) Corporación financiera Internacional (CFI) |
| Environmental justice organizations (and other supporters) and their websites, if available: | Coordinadora Ciudadana Ríos del Maipo, Ecosistemas, Observatorio Latinoamericano de Conflictos Ambientales (OLCA) www.olca.cl, Greenpeace |
Conflict & Mobilization
| Intensity | HIGH (widespread, mass mobilization, violence, arrests, etc...) |
| Reaction stage | PREVENTIVE resistance (precautionary phase) |
| Groups mobilizing: | Farmers Indigenous groups or traditional communities Local ejos Neighbours/citizens/communities Social movements Trade unions Women Recreational users Local scientists/professionals |
| Forms of mobilization: | Artistic and creative actions (eg guerilla theatre, murals) Boycotts of official procedures/non-participation in official processes Community-based participative research (popular epidemiology studies, etc..) Creation of alternative reports/knowledge Development of a network/collective action Involvement of national and international NGOs Lawsuits, court cases, judicial activism Media based activism/alternative media Objections to the EIA Official complaint letters and petitions Shareholder/financial activism. Street protest/marches Strikes Occupation of buildings/public spaces Arguments for the rights of mother nature Appeals/recourse to economic valuation of the environment |
Impacts
| Environmental Impacts | Visible: Fires, Floods (river, coastal, mudflow), Loss of landscape/aesthetic degradation, Noise pollution, Deforestation and loss of vegetation cover, Other Environmental impacts Potential: Biodiversity loss (wildlife, agro-diversity), Desertification/Drought, Food insecurity (crop damage), Global warming, Soil contamination, Soil erosion, Waste overflow, Oil spills, Surface water pollution / Decreasing water (physico-chemical, biological) quality, Groundwater pollution or depletion, Large-scale disturbance of hydro and geological systems, Reduced ecological / hydrological connectivity |
| Other Environmental impacts | Glacier melting acceleration; affectation to priority sites for biodiversity conservation and natural monuments. |
| Health Impacts | Potential: Accidents, Mental problems including stress, depression and suicide, Violence related health impacts (homicides, rape, etc..), Health problems related to alcoholism, prostitution, Deaths, Other Health impacts |
| Other Health impacts | increased heat stress |
| Socio-economical Impacts | Visible: Increase in Corruption/Co-optation of different actors, Militarization and increased police presence, Violations of human rights Potential: Loss of traditional knowledge/practices/cultures, Social problems (alcoholism, prostitution, etc..), Specific impacts on women, Loss of landscape/sense of place, Other socio-economic impacts, Displacement, Increase in violence and crime, Lack of work security, labour absenteeism, firings, unemployment, Loss of livelihood |
| Other socio-economic impacts | loss of local economy based on tourism due to degradation of landscape and of the river. |
Outcome
| Project Status | Under construction |
| Conflict outcome / response: | Land demarcation Court decision (undecided) Repression Withdrawal of company/investment In 2011, a commission of inquiry of the Chamber of Deputies determined that the project was approved with irregularities, but nothing happened and now is starting to be built |
| Do you consider this an environmental justice success? Was environmental justice served?: | No |
| Briefly explain: | In 2011, a commission of inquiry of the Chamber of Deputies determined that the project was approved with irregularities, but nothing happened and now is starting to be built. The use of water for energy for mining projects is above (more important) than the human and animal right to water. Local communities and territory are impacted and the benefits fly to other parts of the country. |
Sources & Materials
| References to published books, academic articles, movies or published documentaries |
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| Related media links to videos, campaigns, social network |
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Meta information
| Last update | 03/05/2014 |
| Conflict ID: | 1129 |
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