Translated from La Segunda (Chile)
Rio
Baker: Energy Minister Damns Dams
The article below (date of publication
unknown) indicates that the Chilean government thought that ENDESA planned to
generate electricity from the Rio Baker without damming the river or or flooding
parts of the valley. In its subsequent announcements ENDESA revealed
that its plans did involve dams and flooding (see El Diario de Aysen, 30
January 2006, link at bottom of this page).
The new environmental
debate: hydroelectric megapower stations in Aysén.
Environmental groups fear that they may affect Tompkins’
Chacabuco Valley park and the
symbolic huemul deer, which is in danger of extinction.
The government believes that there will be only
limited debate because the project would not involve flooding large areas of
land.
By Magdalena Engel
The news that ENDESA may construct four hydroelectric power
stations in the Aysén region - home of the suspended Alumysa project - has
caused the first ripples of what could be the next great environmental debate.
Scene of a large part of the Austral Highway, of the Valle
Chacabuco park property of Kristine McDivitt (wife of Douglas Tompkins), and of
a strong tourist industry, the region of Aysén has an enormous hydroelectric
potential mainly thanks to the Rio Baker, the most powerful river in Chile.
In parallel to the South American “ring main” project, the
option to build hydroelectric power stations on the Baker and Pascua rivers has
also been taking shape. Until now the project has remained on file because the
2500 MW that the four power stations could produce would easily surpass the
needs of Chile. Now, however, the possibility of sending electricity to
Argentina guarantees re-evaluation of this alternative.
The project, nevertheless, raises manifold questions. Will the
history of Ralco repeat itself? Will
the current environmental debate transfer to the XI Region?
The answers are not easy, given that they depend on what type of
power stations is constructed, and on the measures that are taken to accommodate
the interests of the inhabitants of the zone and to mitigate the adverse
environmental effects that the project could generate.
Since ENDESA has stayed quiet on the detail of its plans, it is
impossible to evaluate in detail the effects of this megaproject. The only thing
which has emerged from the Spanish-owned company is that this project will be
developed in a way compatible with the environment.
Worried, the green groups one after another are requesting more
information to evaluate the possible effects on the local surroundings and
communities. They believe that the new power stations will have extensive dams
and will flood large land areas, in the purest Ralco style, an option that would
be unacceptable to them if put into effect.
In this belief Marcel Claude, head of the Fundación Océana,
emphasizes that the megastations in general have various negative effects, such
as “the stagnation of the river in certain areas, floods, sediment
accumulation, forest destruction and loss of biodiversity downstream from the
dams”.
In the same line of reasoning Paola Basconi, coordinator of
environmental programmes at Terram, says that with this project, "Aysén
that has been declared a ‘reservoir of life’ for its biological diversity in
air and in water, is going to be affected by the construction of dams and the
flooding of land, affecting the characteristic flora and fauna of the
zone". In her opinion, given the megawattage that is being announced, it
can be foreseen that this megaproject is going to be much greater than Ralco.
Another member of the green world agrees. Manuel Baquedano,
president of the Institute of Political Ecology, warns that "it is
incompatible with the objective of maintaining Patagonia as a ‘reservoir of
life’ for humanity".
More in detail Rodrigo Herrera, Greenpeace’s national coordinator
of the Forests Campaign, points out that it could put at risk key ecosystems and
species, considering that within the zone there is a group of huemules, the deer
that is on Chile’s national flag and which is in danger of extinction.
Effects on tourism
With attractions like the Austral Highway, Lake General Carrera,
and the San Rafael Lagoon, tourism has become one of the key industries of the
XI region. Because of this, to the debate about the environmental effects is
added the problem that the hydroelectric project could have on the embryonic
industry that already employs 4,000 people (the same number as the salmon
industry) and attracts 120 thousand tourists each season.
Julio Meier, president of the Chamber of Tourism of Coyhaique,
declares that "we are opposed to the generation of electricity in the
region. We do not know the detail
the project, but as a Chamber we are against it. It
is necessary to look for alternative ways that are compatible with the goal of
sustainable development that the region is pursuing ".
The newest tourist attraction of the region is, without doubt,
Valle Chacabuco, the controversial land that Kristine McDivitt - wife of Douglas
Tompkins - purchased in 2004.
Carlos Caves, Tompkins’ right hand man in the Pumalín park,
recognizes that the hydroelectric project could affect the image projected by
the park, but aside from this will not have direct effect its ecosystem
considering that the park only borders on 5 kilometres of the Baker River.
The possibility that transmission lines and roads will be built in
Valle Chacabuco is a point questioned by the environmental world. Caves,
however, replies that the State of Chile has under law the right to make these
developments. He calls for them to
take place according to standards, that the process should be publicised and
openly discussed and that all pertinent environmental studies be carried out.
In spite of this, the subject touches sensitive green nerves
"I question whether it is really necessary that the country has
hydroelectric megastations next to a national park", Herrera declares.
The region of Aysén also is known as a paradise for fly fishing. Nevertheless,
apparently this tourist magnet would not be put in risk by the electrical
project. Gastón Urrejola, president
of the Committee of Recreational Fishing of Coyhaique, explains that the power
stations would not affect this sporting activity, since the zones where their
installation has been evaluated are milky, in other words, are not good for fly
fishing. "But white water
rafting and canoeing could be affected, and ecotourism in general".
In favour of hydroelectric power
In spite of the gloominess of this overview, the use of the water
resources as alternative for electricity generation has several advantages: the
low operating costs, the avoidance of contamination of the air, the easy
adaptation of the generation system to changes in river volume, and the fact
that dams can be used for recreation, as water storage or to control floods,
according to the International Energy Agency, among others.
The type of power station which ENDESA finally chooses also will
determine the environmental effects of the project. Although
the green groups think that the project will go hand in hand with large dams,
Economy and Energy Minister Jorge Rodriguez Grossi explains that in principle
the plan for Aysén is that the power stations of are “run of the river”
type (“de pasada”), that is to say, a type of hydroelectric station in which
an appreciable water accumulation does not exist upstream of the turbines.
The famous power station of Itaipú in Venezuela falls in this
category, where the turbines of the hydroelectric station must accept the volume
available of the river as it comes, with all the variations that this implies of
a station from one season of the year to another. "In
this type of power stations there is very little flooding, only for the
regulation of frequencies, but not to accumulate water".
Because of this the Minister does not fear that the projects in Aysén
will cause a fuss in this sense. This will only be known once ENDESA reveals its
megaproject completely.
Original
version of above article
(ENDESA's subsequent plans for dams and flooding on Rio Baker: El
Diario de Aysen, 30 January 2006).