Maule Environmental Commission rejects high-voltage power project

high-voltage transmission project environmental evaluation biodiversity protection energy infrastructure Chile-Argentina interconnection

The Maule Environmental Evaluation Commission has rejected the ‘Los Cóndores (Chile) – Río Diamante (Argentina) Private Interest International Interconnection’ project. Proposed by Enel Generación Chile S.A., the initiative involved the construction of a 220/500 kV substation and approximately 26.7 kilometers of 500 kV high-voltage transmission lines toward the Argentine border.

The rejection was based on significant concerns regarding the project’s impact on biodiversity, protected assets, landscapes, and local tourism. The proposed route would have passed through high-value environmental areas in the Alto Maule sector, including areas near Laguna del Maule and Potrero Lo Aguirre.

Regional authorities, including Maule Governor Pedro Pablo Álvarez-Salamanca and the Municipality of San Clemente, supported the decision. They emphasized that while they do not oppose development, the specific layout threatened the local ecosystem and strategic tourism initiatives, such as the Geopark project. Additionally, evaluators noted that the project’s employment benefits would be largely temporary, consisting of roughly 90 jobs during the two-year construction phase, with minimal permanent positions during operation.

Entities

Alto Maule · Enel Generación Chile S.A. · Environmental Evaluation Commission · Los Cóndores – Río Diamante Interconnection Project · Maule Environmental Evaluation Commission · Maule Region · San Clemente

Claims

What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.

[○ 1 SOURCE] The project involved 72 structures and approximately 26.7 kilometers of line in Chile. www.diarioelcentro.cl
[○ 1 SOURCE] The project area is a habitat for the critically endangered Pehuenche frog.
[○ 1 SOURCE] The project was rejected due to impacts on biodiversity, protected assets, landscape, and tourism. www.diarioelcentro.cl
[○ 1 SOURCE] Enel Generación Chile S.A. was the developer of the rejected electrical project. www.diarioelcentro.cl
[● 2 SOURCES] The Environmental Evaluation Commission rejected the Los Cóndores–Río Diamante project. www.diarioelcentro.cl
[○ 1 SOURCE] The project included a 220/500 kV substation and a 500 kV transmission line toward the Argentine border. www.diarioelcentro.cl
[○ 1 SOURCE] The project was expected to create an average of 90 jobs during its two-year construction phase. www.diarioelcentro.cl