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24 Aug 2020 Santiago, Chile

UN Rapporteur Criticises Chile Over Human Rights To Water And Health

A strongly worded statement from the UN has requested the Chilean government to “clarify” its choice to place economic development ahead of human rights, identifying controversial agriculture and energy projects at the heart of its rebuke of the country.On 20 August Leo Heller, the special rapporteur on human rights to drinking water and sanitation, asked the government to “clarify” its approach to the intensive cultivation of avocados in the central coastal region and the development of the Maipo Hydroelectric Project that is southeast of Santiago...

27 Dec 2019 SANTIAGO

"Alternative COP": Santiago Protests Focus On Right To Water

“Water, water, water, is a right, not a business, not a privilege”. Used as a rallying cry during protests, this chant rang out as an underlying current throughout an alternative climate conference held in Santiago, Chile from December 2-11, 2019. Chile is the only country in the world with a privatized water system, and uneven water access has been one of the most critical issues fueling the country’s on-going social uprising.

9 Oct 2019 MARSEILLE, France

Water Is A Main Climate Game-changer

An outcomes document of the High Level Strategic Workshop on Water and Climate, sponsored by the World Water Council, has been made available in advance of the COP25 meeting in Santiago in December.With the theme of “Raising ambitions on the road to COP25”, a June workshop aimed at increasing global climate ambitions through the crucial recognition of water as a main game-changer...

30 Jul 2019 SANTIAGO, Chile

Possible Solutions To Santiago Water Crisis?

Chile's capital Santiago is facing an alarming water deficit, fuelled by climate change, that will worsen in the next decades, according to a new report.Challenged by increasing demand for potable water and decreasing resources the city, with a population of about 7 million people, has seen a change in rainfall pattern, with floods a more frequent occurrence...

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18 Mar 2019 SANTIAGO

Chile Tests Floating Solar Panels At Mine Operations Sites

A floating island of solar panels is being tested in Chile as a way to generate clean energy and reduce water loss at mine operations. The experimental Las Tortolas power-generating island is being run by the giant Anglo American mining company at its Los Bronces mine, as the government pushes to put Chile at the forefront of renewable energy use in Latin America and the world...

20 Feb 2018 SANTIAGO

Acciona to Supply Renewable Energy to Chile's Aguas Chanar

Spanish infrastructure group Acciona SA said today it has signed an agreement to supply renewable power to the main facilities in Chile of local water and wastewater company Aguas Chanar. Through Acciona Energia, the company will deliver enough power to cover more than 70% of Aguas Chanar’s needs in the Atacama region.

26 Aug 2016 PANAMA CITY, Panama

Power Failure Leaves 70,000 Without Water in Veraguas Province

Some 70,000 people in Panama’s Veraguas province were left without water this week following a power failure that affected the raw water intake and water treatment plant in Santiago and Atalaya.Classes were cancelled on August 23rd due to lack of water in the region.Osvaldo Jimenez, the National Institute of Aqueducts and Sewage Systems’ (IDAAN) director for Veraguas, said damage to the power line had been repaired, and water supply had resumed in some areas...

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20 May 2016 SANTIAGO, Chile

Antofagasta Reaches Deal With Local Residents Over Tailings Dam

Mining company Antofagasta announced this week that it had finally reached an agreement with local community members over a tailings dam at its Los Pelambres copper mine in central Chile.Addressing shareholders in London this week, Antofagasta Chairman Jean-Paul Luksic said the agreement with residents of the town of Caimanes "addresses certain requirements set down by courts in Chile and will see Los Pelambres invest in future water supply solutions, safety measures, community development projects and compensation...

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18 Apr 2016 SANTIAGO, Chile

4 Million Without Drinking Water in Santiago

Some 4 million of the 6.2 million residents in the Chilean capital, Santiago, were left without drinking water over the weekend due to “extreme turbidity" in the Maipo and Mapocho Rivers, which have been affected by the ongoing heavy rains and flooding in the region.Santiago water provider Aguas Andinas announced on April 16th that it would "shut down its production plants" and make progressive drinking water cut-offs in 27 of the city’s 52 neighborhoods due to the water quality issues...

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28 Jan 2016 SANTIAGO

Hydropower at Center of Chile's Sustainable Energy Debate

The Chilean government’s approval of a hydroelectric dam in the Patagonia wilderness has rekindled the debate on the sustainability and efficiency of large-scale hydropower plants and whether they contribute to building a cleaner energy mix.

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19 Jan 2016 SANTIAGO

Chile Upholds Environmental Approval for Cuervo Hydropower Project

A Chilean ministerial committee upheld on Monday the environmental permit for Energia Austral's Cuervo hydroelectric dams, dismissing nearly a dozen complaints filed against the controversial project by environmental and citizens' groups.

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8 Dec 2015 SANTIAGO

Valhalla Eyes Hydropower Plant in Chile's Atacama Region

Valhalla Energia announced on Friday that Chilean regulators approved the environmental impact study for its 300-megawatt Espejo de Tarapaca project, located 100 kilometers south of Iquique in northern Chile, which is home to some of Chile's biggest mines.

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