Argentina government to audit Kirchner and Cepernic dam projects

The government of Javier Milei has decided to hire a private company to audit and strictly control the progress of the Néstor Kirchner and Jorge Cepernic hydroelectric dam projects in Santa Cruz province. This measure aims to provide transparency regarding the actual status of the massive project, which is financed by Chinese capital and has recently faced stoppages and complex renegotiations.

The audit will be implemented through the state-owned company Energía Argentina (Enarsa), which will launch a tender for a technical consultancy. The firm will be responsible for conducting an exhaustive physical and financial review to certify exact construction percentages and ensure that disbursed funds correspond to the work executed on the ground.

The hydroelectric complex on the Santa Cruz River is the largest public work currently under execution in Argentina, with an estimated total budget exceeding 4.7 billion dollars. The administration considers an independent technical diagnosis essential before authorizing new payments or redefining the project schedule to stabilize relations with international financiers.