HidroAysén--a multiheaded monster unleashed on Patagonia

The preparations for my return to the Chilean Patagonia are well underway, and soon I will be in the San Francisco Bay Area pulling together more of the pieces of the puzzle for our upcoming trip down to Aysén. I will be sure to post a more detailed description of our proposed trip soon.

It seems that the effort to protect Patagonia's rivers is continuing to run head on into the monster of mega-industrialization. The following link leads to an important article, published just last week in a newspaper from British Columbia, which describes the scale of the potential impact of the HidroAysén project.

Interestingly enough, some of the same players who were pushing for the installment of the Alumysa aluminum smelter are behind the HidroAysén project. Notice in the article that Mr. Dennis Couture, who was spokesperson for Noranda/Brascan Corp while attempting to push Alumysa on Patagonia, is now spokesperson for the Brookfield (formerly Brascan--got to love the re branding strategies of exploitative industry!) economic group that wants to build the longest high tension power line in the world, fragmenting protected areas along the length of Chile's Patagonia. This on top of the five dams on two rivers that ENDESA and Colbún are proposing. A truly multi-headed monster come to consume the still free rivers of Patagonia. Read the article for an interesting and informative perspective into the project.

Canadian pension funds linked to controversial project in Patagonia

As well, para nosotros que hablan el castellano, hay otro video que es una buena resumen del monstruo de HidroAysén. Este video es de la campaña Patagonia Sin Represas.



Stay tuned to this page for a full description of the Pascua Expedition Project, a trip to one of the last unknown wild rivers of the Patagonian Andes, the Río Pascua, threatened by the HidroAysén proposal.