The Ralco Dam, now Chile's largest source of hydroelectric energy, opened on September 28 after an eight year struggle between Spanish company Endesa and the Pehuenche over land rights and the environment. Now, another type of dam will be constructed—this time a "green" micro-dam that will provide the Pehuenche with electricity using sustainable methods.
The micro dam will bring electricity to the Pehuenche, a sub-groups of the Mapuche, who are not provided with power by the Ralco dam, as Endesa did not construct a substation to serve them. The smaller dam is certified as environmentally friendly by the European Green Electricity Network (EUGENE) and is a joint project by Boliviariana University and Charrúa Electricity Cooperative. It is set to open in one year, and will serve approximately 15,000 people throughout rural Santa Barbara and Bío- Bío districts, including Pehuenche communities.
Construction of the 570 million dollar Ralco dam began in 1995, and over 10 percent of workers were Pehuenche. Ninety two Pehuenche families had to be relocated because of the dam; Endesa reached agreements with eighty eight by 1998. It was not until December 2002, however, that the remaining four land owners accepted indemnification packages, and this only after the case had reached the Inter-American Court of Human Rights under charges of ethnocide, according to IPS.
