Chile's 2.75-Gigawatt Hidroaysen Hydropower Project Receives Environmental Approval

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Researched by Industrial Info Resources Latin America (Cordoba, Argentina)--HidroAysen SA (Santiago, Chile), a joint of Colbun SA (SCL:COLBUN) (Santiago) and Endesa Chile (Santiago), recently obtained environmental approval for the 2.75-gigawatt HidroAysen hydroelectric project.

After more than three years of controversy led by regional authorities and environmental groups, the mega-hydroelectric project obtained approval from Chilean authorities.

The project entails the construction of five dams, two on the Baker River and three on the Pascua River in Chile's southern Aysen region XI. It also includes the construction of a 2,000-kilometer transmission line to Santiago.

Hidroaysen will cost $7 billion. The scheme comprises the 680-megawatt (MW) Baker power station; the 360-MW Baker II power station; the 460-MW Pascua power station; the 500-MW Pascua II power station; and the 770-MW Pascua II.i power station. These will be constructed in different phases, starting in 2014, with completion set for 2022.

Meanwhile, Energia Austral, a subsidiary of mining company Xstrata plc (LSE:XTA) (Zug, Switzerland), has three hydroelectric projects under development in the Aysen region, which have yet to complete environmental impact studies: the 640-MW Cuervo plant, the 360-MW Blanco plant, and the 54-MW Condor hydroelectric plant.

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