Continued...

Not really says Glenn Switkes, Latin America Program Director of the International Rivers Network.

"In Chile, it appears to me, the system of checks and balances between various agencies and sectors of the government does not function to a great extent. This was shown in the case of dams on the Bio Bio where the agencies with responsibility to look out for the interests of the Pehuenches were simply dismantled when they raised issues opposing the project. More recently, this was evidenced in the case of the Pascua Lama mine," Switkes said on an e-mail from Sao Paolo, IRN Headquarters for Latin America.

"The situation with Endesa in Chile is very grave," Switkes adds. "Endesa operates with impunity, and almost as an agent of various governmental sectors, which almost appear to be partners of the company. Perhaps this will change with time, we will have to see, but obviously it is part of a process," he concludes.

And that process has lacked transparency and constituency participation. After all, it shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone in the Comuna of Panguipulli that two hydroelectric plants with a total capacity of 600 MWs will be built up stream so to speak, the government had oficially identified the area's potential back in 1979, eleven years after it completed the Pullinque plant (48,600KW), just 10 Kms east of Panguipulli, and now privately owned. Yet local government officials and the public were caught off guard by media reports that seemed to indicate the project is already under way.

Not anymore reassuring is the ruling coalition of Ms. Bachelet which was rocked last year by a fund misappropriation and corruption scandal. Her repeated calls for transparent and responsible management sound hollow and offer little hope that even her government will handle this project responsibly. Please say it ain't so Michelle...!?