"Victory in Chile! Dams Scrapped on Five Rivers,"

After a decades-long campaign, five rivers in Chile…have been saved from large hydroelectric dams. The Chilean energy company Endesa announced yesterday it has relinquished all claims to the water on the Futaleufú, Puelo, Chillan, Bardón and Huechún rivers. That means that six hydroelectric projects, totaling 2,151 MW, have been scrapped…These dams had met with strong local opposition, both because of their social and environmental impacts and the effect they would have on the tourism industry…In a statement, Endesa Chief Executive Valter Moro said, "Endesa Chile wants to only move forward on projects that are technically and economically viable and that are embraced by the local communities.” We commend Endesa for listening to the voices of the community and affected peoples…Monti Aguirre, International Rivers’ Latin America Campaign Coordinator, said, “Rivers provide…livelihoods for millions of people globally. We should protect them…We welcome this great news, and we recognize that we must seize this opportunity to now secure permanent protection for the wild and scenic rivers of Patagonia.”

[Also refers to HidroAysén.]