In the midst of layoffs at the Santa Cruz dams, the Government renewed
the concessions of four hydroelectric plants located in Neuquén and Río Negro for
60 consecutive days .
These are the
Alicurá, El Chocón Arroyito, Cerros Colorados and Piedra del Águila
complexes , arising from the privatization of the state-owned Hidronor during the management of Carlos Menem in the '90s.
According to Resolution 33 published in the Official Gazette, the Ministry of Energy, headed by
Eduardo Rodríguez Chirillo
, ordered the extension of the "transitional period" in the first three dams starting this Tuesday and that of Piedra del Águila starting next 28th of April.
In both cases, the extension is within the maximum period of 12 months established in the concession contract.
"In order to preserve the safety of people and assets located in the Basin and under their responsibility, the concessionaires must continue to be in charge of the corresponding Hydroelectric Complex and comply with all their obligations derived from the contract during the aforementioned period," reads the normative.
Likewise, Energy established that during the entire remaining transition period the state company
ENARSA,
one of those that is in the Executive's sights to be privatized, will continue as
overseer
within the framework of the provisions of the current contracts.
The national State
had already extended the concessions on several occasions
since July of last year.
With the beginning of the "Motosierra" plan, the hydroelectric plants
were involved in the conflict between Javier Milei and the governors
.
In the case of Río Negro and Neuquén, the energy they produce is destined to supply other regions of the country, including Buenos Aires, but also local demand in those provinces.
According to the newspaper Río Negro, the governors seek to make this electricity cheaper for their meters, but the national government maintains the position that the provinces
subsidize the price of energy with their own funds
, including the royalties they receive from sales. of hydroelectric energy and that should be 15%.
Energy's decision was known in the midst of tensions with Santa Cruz, where UOCRA
denounced the dismissal of 1,800 workers
due to the lack of funds to resume work on the Jorge Cepernic and Néstor Kirchner dams.
There is also concern about the government's intention to privatize
Yacimientos Carboniferous Río Turbio
(YCRT).
The dams were put out to tender 16 years ago.
It was an energetic promise of Kirchnerism but
it is still unfinished
.
Sergio Massa had assured that its construction would be completed in 2027, but the deadlines continue to be postponed.
The joint venture in charge of its construction is made up of the Chinese company
Gezhouba (54%), Eling Energía SA (formerly Electroingeniería 36%) and Hidrocuyo SA (10%).
The work is financed entirely with a Chinese loan, which is why the majority shareholding is held by the
Gezhouba
company , one of the main builders of hydroelectric complexes in the world.
To date, a seventh disbursement of US$500 million is expected.
But the negotiations
were put on hold
with Milei's arrival to power.
The Foreign Minister, Diana Mondino, and the Ambassador of the People's Republic of China in Argentina, Wang Wei, met on January 12 to celebrate the first 10 years of the Comprehensive Strategic Association established in 2013. Among the signed agreements
is the mega-project
, which requires the signing of Addendum XII by ENARSA, in charge of the work, together with the contractors.
The signing of the addendum is key to being able to advance with the works, unlock financing and achieve its implementation in the coming years.
That decision
also depends on the Minister of Economy, Luis Caputo, and Rodríguez Chirillo
.
But the setback of the DNU in the Senate last Thursday once again tightened the rope with the provinces.
The contractors assure that the entry into operation of the Santa Cruz plants
will avoid the outlay of more than US$ 1,000 million due to imported fossil fuels
and will achieve a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions of 2.5 mega tons of CO2, which represents 2.5% of the reduction volume proposed in the Paris Agreement.