Cruz Grande power station

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Cruz Grande power station was a proposed 300-megawatt, US$1.2bn plant by Chile's steel and mining company CAP for the region of La Higuera in Northern Chile. In March, 2011, CAP cancelled the environmental assessment process for the station, saying it would prefer to use the region for iron ore mining.

Location

The map below shows Chungungo - La Higuera, the approximate location where the plant was to be built.

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Background

Plant developer CAP began the environmental impact assessment process for Cruz Grande in June 2008. The plant was to be built on the north-central Chilean coast near the Punta de Choros marine reserve and the Isla Damas Humboldt Penguin reserve. From the time the plant was announced, local fishermen and neighbors launched regular protests, blocking access from the main highway to Los Choros and writing letters to the regional environmental authority Corema (Comisión Regional del Medio Ambiente) in Coquimbo. Complaints focused primarily on potential air and water pollution and changes to seawater temperature. In 2010, the environmental group Oceana petitioned Chile's national environmental ministry for establishment of a multi-use marine protection zone in the communities of La Higuera and Freirina. In March 2011, days before Corema was due to issue a environmental ruling, CAP announced it was cancelling the plant.

Project Details

• Sponsor: CAP
• Parent company:
• Location: Chungungo - La Higuera, IV Region, Chile
• Coordinates: -29.511953, -71.200084 (approximate)
• Status:
  • Unit 1: Cancelled
  • Unit 2: Cancelled
• Gross Capacity:
  • Unit 1: 150MW
  • Unit 2: 150MW
• Type: Subcritical
• Projected in service:
• Coal Type: Sub-Bituminous, Bituminous
• Coal Source:
• Source of financing:

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