Los Robles power station
{{#badges:CoalSwarm|Navbar-Chilecoal}} The Los Robles power station was a proposed 750-megawatt (MW), $2 billion coal-fired power plant sponsored by AES Gener in Constitución, VII region, southern Chile. The permit for the project expired in January 2015.
Contents
Location
The map below shows Constitución, the approximate location where the plant would be built.
Background
The plant was proposed in 2007, with a planned start-up date of 2012, but in 2009 AES Gener said plans were indefinitely postponed due to a lack of investors.[1] However, in a January 2014 interview AES Gener's CEO Luis Felipe Cerón expressed interest in reviving the Los Robles plant, if market and regulatory conditions for coal improve under incoming Chilean president Michelle Bachelet.[2]
Project Cancelled
On January 26, 2015, the permit authorizing construction expired, effectively cancelling the project. The newsletter EndCoal described the cancellation as follows:[3]
- Communities living along central Chile’s scenic Maule coast are celebrating the collapse of the proposal to build the Los Robles coal-fired power plant. On January 26 the permit authorising construction of the plant expired, effectively cancelling the project. Under Chilean law, companies have five years from the date of approval of the environmental impact assessment to commence construction on a project. As AES Gener, a subsidiary of giant US independent power producer AES, had failed to commence construction on the project, their right to develop it has expired.
- In a symbolic act, the Citizens Action for the Defense of the Maule Coast held a vigil to celebrate the death of the Los Robles coal plant after their epic seven-year struggle. They held a big bonfire that was fuelled by rubble remaining from the massive 2010 earthquake and tsunami whose epicentre was located in Maule.
- Rodrigo de la O, convenor of the Maule Itata Coastkeeper. and a member of the Waterkeeper Alliance, said “for us, it’s a special day, hard to believe, but an important, historic day without doubt. The community was organised, was active and was emphatic in defining their own development path. Our victory is due to the importance of a more empowered society that demands more space to advocate for their own interests and for the preservation of our natural heritage for future generations.”
- The 750 megawatt Los Robles was first proposed in 2007. At this time a spontaneous, diverse citizens movement was formed to fight the project, consisting of local residents, fisherfolk, tourism operators, local NGOs, tourists and temporary residents. The mayors of nearby municipalities and parliamentarians also participated in the campaign to stop the project at various times.
- Forming the Citizens Action for the Defense of the Maule Coast, the group pioneered the use of social networks and the internet as campaign tools. They added new and diverse voices to the campaign, produced publications, organised marches, caravans and massive demonstrations of all types.noatlr11 copy
- They learnt about coal and the full coal life cycle and used that to educate citizens about coal pollution, the health problems associated with the plants, and the possible impacts on fisheries and water resources. They submitted more than 600 comments on the environmental impact assessment, causing delays in the project approval process. Legal actions were also launched against the project.
- Ultimately, and probably in large part due to the citizens opposition, AES decided to abandon the project. Citizens Action for the Defense of the Maule Coast is celebrating a well-deserved victory this week, and we should join them by saying #chaolosrobles
Project Details
- Sponsor: AES Gener
- Parent company: AES
- Location: Constitución, VII region, Chile
- Coordinates: -35.3333333, -72.4166667 (approximate)
- Status:
- Unit 1: Cancelled (2015)
- Unit 2: Cancelled (2015)
- Gross Capacity:
- Unit 1: 375 MW
- Unit 2: 375 MW
- Type:
- Projected in service:
- Coal Type:
- Coal Source:
- Source of financing:
Articles and resources
References
- ↑ "Small Victory Over Chilean Coal Plant," Save the Waves Coalition, April 2009.
- ↑ "Power company AES Gener eyes purchases in Chile, Colombia,", Reuters, January 29, 2014.
- ↑ Aviva Imhof, "Chao Los Robles: Chilean Citizens Movement Celebrates Coal Plant Victory," EndCoal.org, January 27, 2015
