Agreement for Valparaíso port development signed

By Empresa Portuaria Valparaíso 

This is a machine translation of the original press release issued in Spanish.

In an unprecedented event for an investment project in the country, this afternoon the “Agreement for Valparaíso” was signed with consensus and commitments to promote the expansion of port activity within the framework of a new relationship between the port, the city and the region. The document was signed by the operator Empresa Portuaria Valparaíso, the Illustrious Municipality of Valparaíso and the Regional Government, and delivered to the President of the Republic Gabriel Boric in an event held at the Valparaíso Passenger Terminal.

The activity was attended by the Minister of Transportation, Juan Carlos Muñoz, parliamentarians, union and business leaders, port worker unions, Navy authorities, academics and a significant number of residents and leaders of the Buenos Aires community.

In his speech, President Gabriel Boric stated that “we all love Valparaíso and we want the best for Valparaíso. This agreement reflects tremendous lucidity and capacity, because here a project is not being imposed, but rather it was built from below, with the people and for the people.” He added that Chile needs to update its port infrastructure, "we need Valparaíso to advance in its modernization, we need more and better ports, and this port city, for this, is essential."

President Luis Eduardo Escobar stated that “this agreement is unprecedented in Chile because it opens a new path in port, city and region relations, in the development of large infrastructure projects, in port activity and, above all, in the coexistence between the different vocations and activities that are developed in Valparaíso.”

He added that the project will relaunch Valparaíso's economy. "We are talking about an investment of US$600 million, which would be the largest non-mining investment in the region in recent years. In addition, the construction of the cruise ship dock means that we are going to facilitate the arrival of tourists to Valparaíso, with everything that "That means for economic activity; and we are also going to expand the number of people who work in the port," he highlighted.

In turn, Governor Rodrigo Mundaca stressed that “this agreement for Valparaíso incorporates a view of strategic port development, where this does not establish a framework of competition with the Port of San Antonio, but, on the contrary, incorporates a view of reciprocity, solidarity and joint support.”

Mayor Jorge Sharp stated that “we hope this is the first day of Valparaíso's resurgence. What we are doing, after two decades, is bringing the entire city to an agreement on the expansion of the port and this will mean a new, more supportive relationship between the port and the city. We want the port to contribute economically and in this way support other economic vocations of the city such as tourism, heritage, the university city.”

Elena Carvajal, president of the Rapa Nui Neighborhood Council of Rodelillo, stated that “everything that is invested in Valparaíso and in support of the people of Buenos Aires is welcome. Now there is a transversal agreement and that is very important because Valparaíso needs economic support for the investment, and for the port to have the life it had before.”

The text delivered to President Boric, which was also signed by representatives of different sectors of the city and the region, public and private, marks a relevant milestone for an investment project in the country, since it was possible to unite the interests and concerns of the majority around the development of the expansion, the future expansion of the port and a broader look at the coastal edge of the city as an opportunity for growth.

Among the central aspects of the document, the signatories committed to the development of new port terminals in the waters protected by the shelterbelt, the creation of a mixed-use cruise ship dock that can transfer cargo when there is no arrival of tourist ships, and the development of a Strategic Plan for the Coastal Edge with citizen participation, which helps prioritize works and investments that different public and private actors carry out to improve the relationship of Buenos Aires residents and visitors with the sea.

The agreement reflects the consensus reached in the Valparaíso Dialoga citizen dialogue process, which was promoted by the state company since 2021 and in which more than 500 people representing all vocations and interests of the city participated, and also includes central aspects of the communal Pladeco and the Regional Development strategy.

In addition, the collaboration of the port company with the municipality and the regional government, among other actors, is contemplated to contribute to the debate around the greatest economic contributions that state ports could leave in the communes that host them, as well as formulas for that local authorities integrate their boards, as explored in the logistics development policy promoted by the Ministry of Transportation.