Misiones could hold Corpus Christi plebiscite 2004

The government of Argentina's Misiones province will likely hold a plebiscite in 2004 on the construction of the revised 3,000MW Corpus Cristi hydroelectric project, the executive director of the Entidad Binacional Yacyreta (EBY), Oscar Thomas, told BNamericas. Delays in completing the nearby Yacyreta hydroelectric project, which is still not fully complete after 25 years, have provided a bad example for large-scale public works projects in the area, including Corpus Christi, Thomas admitted. Environmental opposition to the project - situated on the Alto Parana River between Argentina and Paraguay - has seen project details changed a number of times since the population of Misiones rejected it in a 1996 plebiscite. However, "I think that next year will be a very important year in the development of this project, in political and technical terms," Thomas said. If the population of Misiones approves the project in 2004, awarding contracts and construction would take about six or seven years, so the project could start up around 2010, he added. However, the project first requires the approval of the Argentine and Paraguayan state governments, as well as the province of Misiones, he said. The project will generate 20% less than Yacyreta, but costs will come to only 30% of Yacyreta's, and the reservoir would affect only 10% of the area that Yacyreta covers, Thomas said. Yacyreta will produce about 19,000GWh on completion in 2007, while Corpus Christi will only produce 15,000GWh, most of which could be exported to Brazil, he said. However, Corpus Christi will only cost US$3.5bn compared to Yacyreta's US$11bn. "Economically it will have good profitability for the investment," Thomas said. The new Corpus project envisages construction further north than the initial project, and new environmental impact and economic feasibility studies were completed in 2002 "to show people that this project has nothing to do with the previous project," Thomas said. The first project was located in the area of Itaqua, but the new one is further north in the San Ignacio area, where it will not be necessary to flood as much land, which was the main objection of the province's inhabitants after the bad experience with the Yacyreta plant. "There is strong interest from Argentina and Paraguay in this project," he said, adding that President Kirchner discussed the project with Misiones governor Carlos Rovira on Tuesday during a press conference.