Chiloé Wind Farm
Chiloé Wind Farm (Spanish: Parque Eólico Chiloé) is a wind farm planned to be constructed by Ecopower[1] in a sector called Mar Brava west of Ancud in Chiloé Island, Chile.[2][1] Chiloé Wind Farm is one four large wind farm projects approved by Sistema de Evaluación de Impacto Ambiental (SEIA) in the period of 2010–2017,[3] and if constructed it would be the largest wind farm in the whole Chiloé Archipelago.[1] The project included the construction of 42 wind turbines and with a power generation of 100 MW.[1][3]
The project has been met by significant opposition as it is claimed it would destroy "pristine" landscapes and reduce their potential for tourism.[2] The investment in the project is estimated to be about 250 million US dollars (2018) financed by Chilean and Swedish sources.[2] Supporters of the project claim the project would together with Chacao Channel bridge help end Chiloé Island's isolation.[2] It is also claimed it will give the power outage-prone island more reliable electricity sources and independence.[2] At least initially, some environmentalists supported the project as it was "clean energy".[2]
The project was first heard of in 2007, and was subsequently presented by the mayor of Ancud Pablo Ossio (DC) as being in negotiation.[2] In 2019 the Chilean state sued Ecopower for not paying the rent for the sites of the project.[1]
References
- "Fisco demandó a empresa aerogeneradora eléctrica Ecopower por no pagar arriendo en Chiloé". Radio Cooperativa (in Spanish). April 7, 2019. Retrieved June 3, 2020.
- "Parque Eólico Chiloé: la larga historia del proyecto que divide a Ancud". Terram.cl (in Spanish). Fundacion Terram. June 25, 2018. Retrieved June 10, 2020.
- Durán, Vanessa; Moncada, Eduardo; Natho, Federico (2018). "Megaparques eólicos, destrucción de turberas y conflictividad sociopolítica". Archipiélago de Chiloé: nuevas lecturas de un territorio en movimiento (in Spanish). CESCH. pp. 7–8. ISBN 978-956-09219-0-1.