Chile Approves Hydro Dam Proposal

Chilean regulators have approved a proposal for the construction of the $3bn HidroAysen project in Patagonia.

The scheme is awaiting final approvals from the federal government.

The five new dams to be constructed on the Baker and Pascua rivers will generate 2,750MW of power, reports the BBC.

According to environmentalists, the dams will destroy swathes of land, threaten endangered species, and flood approximately 60km² of Patagonian forest.