Research fellow in social geography Yngve Heiret, in a statement on news.no last week, draws a parallel between the Fosen activists’ peaceful demonstrations outside ministries and the Storting in Norway, and an incident at our Los Lagos hydropower project in Chile on 23 February. A very fundamental difference is that the incident at Los Lagos was a planned, violent attack. A dozen masked people, armed with sticks, stones and slings, broke in through the main gate of the construction area, threatened the two unarmed security guards, demolished the guardhouse and other infrastructure, before setting fire to parts of it. At the same time, some people lined up with banners against the project and allowed themselves to be photographed as peaceful protesters at the gate of our facility. After a few minutes, four police officers arrived at the scene from inside our project area and tried to disperse the protesters and attackers with the help of tear gas. A police car with four more police officers eventually arrived at the scene from outside, and took part in the effort to disperse the attackers and protesters. The incident is now being investigated by Chilean police, to find the facts about all aspects of the incident, including whether people were actually shot at and with what type of ammunition. The police force Carabineras de Chile is a completely independent organization from Statkraft, and their presence in the Los Lagos project area is the result of a protective measure ordered by Chilean courts. The measure is a response to the more than 15 acts of violence that have taken place against the project to date, and which include everything from aggressive demonstrations to setting fire to transport vehicles for personnel. All power development, also from renewable energy sources, has consequences. For Statkraft, it is always important to listen to local interests, whether it relates to nature, indigenous rights or other matters. In the area around the Pilmaiquén River, there are more than 20 indigenous communities with historical roots in the area. Statkraft has maintained an ongoing dialogue with these communities. This is underlined by the more than 400 meetings that have been held with local communities and organizations in the area to date. The opposition to the project and Statkraft’s presence in the Pilmaiquén River is led by two groups, which largely consist of people who are not from the area. The groups were established in 2011 and 2015. There are only nine indigenous communities in the vicinity of the Los Lagos project, and Statkraft has had ongoing dialogue and cooperation with seven of them. Together we have had a working group to raise and discuss various matters of interest. This cooperation has partly been the trigger for the aggressive actions by the two groups that oppose the project. Contrary to what Heiret claims, renewable energy projects are very capital intensive. At the same time, they are long-term investments that directly and indirectly contribute to important income and jobs locally. 85 percent of the total investment in the Los Lagos plant will remain in Chile. It includes the entire contract value for the construction works, including goods, services, accommodation, materials and so on. Of this again, more than 30 percent remains in the area around Los Lagos. This promotes local economy and development. Statkraft’s presence in Chile has been appreciated by both the business community and the authorities as well as affected local communities. The way Statkraft carries out its projects, based on high, internationally recognized standards and respect for human rights, has created important precedents in Chile for involvement, handling of consultations and complaints and cooperation locally. This ongoing dialogue with the indigenous people of the area was also decisive for our decision to drop the Osorno hydropower project downstream of Los Lagos. Chile, like all other countries, is threatened by global climate change. Statkraft’s activities in hydro, wind and solar power contribute to an absolutely necessary energy transition in the country – away from fossil power generation and towards emission-free, renewable power. READ THE CHRONICLE:
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Statkraft is responsive in Chile – Statement
