Chile energy minister and regional officials clash over rejected power line

Chile's Regional Environmental Assessment Commission (Coeva) in Maule rejected the Los Cóndores–Río Diamante electricity interconnection project with Argentina, prompting a public dispute between Energy Minister Ximena Rincón and regional authorities. The project, promoted by Enel, was voted down nine votes to two after years of evaluation Source: emolcl. Minister Rincón criticized the decision, arguing the project had all favorable reports and that concerns about the Pehuenche spiny-chest frog (Alsodes pehuenche) emerged only at the last minute, allegedly due to actor Leonardo DiCaprio's social media campaign Source: infobae. Regional presidential delegate Juan Eduardo Prieto, who heads Coeva, rejected this characterization, stating the decision was based on months of technical work and observations from multiple agencies regarding biodiversity, tourism, and protected areas Source: emolcl. The Chilean Herpetology Network (RECH) also disputed Rincón's claims, asserting that the frog's presence was known throughout the evaluation and that the project had received formal observations from the Agricultural and Livestock Service (SAG) and the Biodiversity and Protected Areas Service (SBAP) Source: El Mercurio (Emol). Rincón emphasized the region's energy security needs, noting that Maule faces supply problems and rationing, while Prieto countered that the project is a transmission line and would not generate electricity, thus not solving the region's energy issues Source: emolcl. The project, with an investment of USD 36 million, would have built 76 towers over 26.7 km, but faced over 16,000 citizen observations Source: infobae.