Respuesta al Informe de Seguimiento al Plan de Acción e Informe de Cierre de Caso – Borrador Preliminar - MICI-BID-CH-2017-0115 Proyecto “Hidroeléctrico Alto Maipo”

A formal response by CIEL, Ecosistemas, and CCNAM criticizing the MICI's draft closure of the Alto Maipo Hydroelectric project case. The authors argue that BID Invest's divestment does not absolve it of responsibility for environmental damages to the Maipo River basin or for failing to address corporate reprisals against environmental defenders.

• The authors allege that AES Andes, the operator of the Alto Maipo hydroelectric project, engaged in reprisals against opponents, including the use of cyber-intelligence services to infiltrate WhatsApp groups of the Coordinadora Ciudadana No Alto Maipo (CCNAM) and the collection of personal data on the daughters of spokesperson Marcela Mella.
• The authors criticize the MICI's decision to close the case based on the BID Administration's claim that no further action could be taken due to the lack of a current contractual relationship. They argue that responsibility for the Action Plan stems from the investment itself and the resulting damages, not from a current contract.
• The authors claim the project has accelerated the desertification of central Chile and the Cajón del Maipo, noting that the Maipo River has lost a quarter of its flow over the last three decades, a process exacerbated by the project's diversion of water and impact on aquifers.
• The authors argue that the MICI's investigation was fundamentally flawed because it applied a judicial exclusion clause that prevented the analysis of central environmental issues, such as river flows and water rights, leading to an 'obsolete' and 'irrelevant' Action Plan.
• The document highlights a contradiction in the project's viability: while the BID promoted it as a renewable energy project aligned with climate mitigation, the company Alto Maipo SpA later filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the US, citing climate change-induced drought and desertification as reasons the project is unviable.
• The authors call for the BID to implement a 'Responsible Exit' framework to ensure that divestment from problematic projects does not leave affected communities in a more vulnerable position or allow the bank to evade its responsibility to provide remediation for damages.

APA

Center for International Environmental Law (2022). Respuesta al Informe de Seguimiento al Plan de Acción e Informe de Cierre de Caso – Borrador Preliminar - MICI-BID-CH-2017-0115 Proyecto “Hidroeléctrico Alto Maipo”. https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Respuesta-CIEL-Ecosistemas-CCNAM-a-Informe-Seguimiento-MICI-072222.pdf

Chicago

Center for International Environmental Law. Respuesta al Informe de Seguimiento al Plan de Acción e Informe de Cierre de Caso – Borrador Preliminar - MICI-BID-CH-2017-0115 Proyecto “Hidroeléctrico Alto Maipo”. 2022. https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Respuesta-CIEL-Ecosistemas-CCNAM-a-Informe-Seguimiento-MICI-072222.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Center for International Environmental Law |title=Respuesta al Informe de Seguimiento al Plan de Acción e Informe de Cierre de Caso – Borrador Preliminar - MICI-BID-CH-2017-0115 Proyecto “Hidroeléctrico Alto Maipo” |date=22 July 2022 |url=https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Respuesta-CIEL-Ecosistemas-CCNAM-a-Informe-Seguimiento-MICI-072222.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{centerforinternationalenvironmentallaw2022respuesta, author = {{Center for International Environmental Law}}, title = {{Respuesta al Informe de Seguimiento al Plan de Acción e Informe de Cierre de Caso – Borrador Preliminar - MICI-BID-CH-2017-0115 Proyecto “Hidroeléctrico Alto Maipo”}}, publisher = {Center for International Environmental Law}, year = {2022}, month = jul, url = {https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Respuesta-CIEL-Ecosistemas-CCNAM-a-Informe-Seguimiento-MICI-072222.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }