WATER ABLAZE - Patagonia Sin Represas

ased on water rights the company acquired during the military rule
of Augusto Pinochet. Dams would first be built on the Baker and
Pascua, but additional dams have been proposed for a number of
other previously intact rivers in the area, including the Futaleufú. The
hydroelectric power would be transported 2,400km north, via a hightension
transmission line with 5,000 transmission towers, at least 70m
high, and a 120m-wide forest clearing for at least 1,600 km through a
number of national parks and protected areas, in order to supply the
Santiago area, where much of the power is used for heavy industry and
mining. The cost of this project is estimated at US$3∙2 billion.
A massive seaport would be created on a fjord near the mouths
of the Baker and Pascua Rivers to facilitate the construction activities,
and new roads would be built. In addition to this, thousands of
construction workers would be brought into the area to build the
megaproject, resulting in pollution, crime, prostitution and housing
problems for the region. The invasion of this “boom and bust” nonlocal
construction economy is incompatible with the traditional way of
life in the region.
About 50 local, national and international environmental
organisations, such as the Council in Defence of Patagonia (Consejo de
Defensa de la Patagonia/CDP), oppose the dams, claiming they would
destroy the natural heritage of the area and lead to greatly increased
electricity costs for Chilean consumers. The geography and natural
seismic activity of the region also give rise to concern and attention has
been drawn to the lack of project-related environmental studies.
Part of the campagne to save the rivers in Patagonia is the request by
activists and those affected that people worldwide offer their support
by writing letters to the chief executive of the Italian company Enel.
The following text has been drafted as a suggestion of what to write:
Dear Mr. Conti,
Enel’s international image is threatened by the growing
environmental controversy about its affiliate Endesa Chile’s plans to
dam the Baker and Pascua Rivers in that country. These projects are
being promoted by Endesa Chile’s joint venture “HidroAysén”.
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