The Executive Directorate of the Environmental Evaluation Service (SEA) recommended rejecting the environmental impact study of the Itahue-Hualte Transmission Line project, which extends through 20 communes in the Maule, Ñuble and Biobío regions, including Quirihue, Cobquecura, Trehuaco and Coelemu.
The project was entered into the SEA in August 2020 by Mataquito Transmisora de Energía, linked to the Spanish capital firm Celeo Redes. It is part of the Expansion Plan of the Zonal Transmission System of the National Electric System, with a projected investment of US$ 324 million.
The 406.9 kilometer line between the Itahue substation (Maule) and the Hualqui substation (Biobío) also includes the construction of five substations and the connection to five existing ones.
Although it does not consider, in its original design, a descent to the Province of Itata, in 2020 efforts began to take advantage of this megaproject and thus contribute to improving the quality of supply in the Province and making more generation projects feasible.
Rejection
The environmental evaluation, however, has been extended for more than three years due to numerous observations from public services and the community, which has forced the owner to present four addendums. The last milestone was the Consolidated Evaluation Report, issued on April 19 by the SEA, where it recommended its rejection, because the owner would not have provided sufficient information to prove that the measures take care of the environmental impacts.
Additionally, the mayors of several of the affected communes, including Quirihue, have asked the authorities to reject it. The position is based on the impacts on protected areas such as the Nonguén National Park (shared by Concepción, Chiguayante and Hualqui), on communities and areas of natural value, on the landscape and tourism in the Maule, Itata and Biobío valleys, the wetland urban Itata and the Itata River Mouth Nature Sanctuary.
Union concern
The Chilean Renewable Energy Association (Acera AG) expressed, through a statement, “its deep concern regarding the progress of the project’s environmental evaluation process.”
He highlighted that “its materialization is essential, both for the integration into the electrical grid of renewable energy projects for 3,700 MW, valued at US$ 4,000 million, and for the creation of more than 10,000 jobs.”
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