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Dams
and the Energy Chile Needs
The HidroAysen Project is the most ambitious dam proposal
in the history of Chile. The Natural Resources Defense Council,
International Rivers, and Chilean partners Ecosistemas and Chile
Ambiente, are leading the Patagonia Without Dams Campaign. The proposed
project threatens every river in Chilean Patagonia from future damming.
The HidroAysen project, along with proposing the construction of
5 dams on 2 of Patagonia's most pristine rivers, the Pascua and
Baker, plans on building a 2000 km high-voltage transmission line
North to Santiago, creating the world's longest clear-cut. The proposed
dams would flood rare temperate rainforests and some of Patagonia's
best ranching lands. The rainforest areas that the dams and transmission
lines would eliminate do not exist anywhere else on the planet.
Along with altering Chile's environment from the South to the Central
Valley, the project threatens future damming of other rivers in
Patagonia. Once the transmission line is in place, rivers such as
the Puelo, Yelcho, Palena and the infamous Futaleufu will also be
scheduled for damming.
FutaFriends
understands the need of the Chilean government to find
a source of reliable and renewable energy, however, the level of
destruction created by the HidroAysen surpasses any possible benefits
the proposed project plans to offer. Even though the Futaleufu is
not being directly threatened by the HidroAysen project, FutaFriends
sees the proposed project as a dark cloud slowly creeping into the
Futaleufu Valley. For further information on the Patagonia Without
Dams Campaign, please visit NRDC's
Patagonia BioGems Campaign.
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out how you can help...
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