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dam-l LS: Government Intends to Approve Ralco Soon
CHIP NEWS
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Date: January 20, 2000
Subject: Government Intends to Approve Ralco Soon
Source: El Mercurio, El Diario
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GOVERNMENT INTENDS TO APPROVE RALCO SOON.
Economy Minister Jorge Leiva reiterated Wednesday his intention to
approve Endesa's Ralco hydroelectric project before the end of this month.
"I hope to authorize it before I go on vacation in February," he said.
This would mean advancing the deadline for approval, which was originally
set for the end of the Eduardo Frei administration (March 11). Following
Leiva's decision, project authorization only requires an official decree from
the Comptroller General. No mention was made of pending legal moves
from environmentalists and indigenous people who oppose the project and
have so far managed to postpone the building of the dam. The 570 MW-project
in the upper Bio Bio valley will cost some US$540 million. According to Endesa
some US$130 million has already been invested in preliminary construction, and
the dam is now due to be operational by January 2003, compared to a previous target of April 2002. --
*Chip News*
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Monti Aguirre
Latin American Campaigns
International Rivers Network
1847 Berkeley Way
Berkeley, CA. 94703 USA
Phone: 510 . 848.11.55 and 707 . 591 .91.49
Fax: 510 . 848.10.08
e-mail: monti @irn.org
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