 |
| (Mareña Renovables) |
Dutch
pension fund PGGM is the under fire in Mexico because of its plans for a wind
farm in the south of the country. Furious local farmers and fishermen are
demanding that the project be abandoned.
The
conflict centres on the Marena Renovables project, a wind farm under
construction near the Indian village of San Dionisio del Mar on the Mexican
west coast. Once completed, the project would be the largest wind farm in Latin
America. It is being jointly financed by PGGM and two other foreign investors.
.
Misleading
In 2004,
the local Ikoots Indians signed a contract with the investors granting them a
thirty-year lease on the land. But local representatives now claim the deal was
signed on the basis of incomplete information. Protestors say the developers
have unilaterally increased the number of turbines from 40 to 132. They say the
noise of the mills will have a negative effect on the livelihoods of local
fishers and farmers.
Reacting to
the criticism, PGGM says the negotiations were conducted fairly. The company
claims the problems are related to disagreement amongst the locals over the
division of money. “We deposited the funds for the local community in a central
bank account and can only assume that it was then distributed fairly”, PGGM’s
head of infrastructure Henk Huizing, told Dutch daily de Volkskrant. “We can’t
verify that that is the case, and nor is it our responsibility”, he added.
Tense
atmosphere
San
Dionisio del Mar is in the state of Oaxaca, on the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, a
narrow stretch of land between the Gulf of Mexico and the Pacific Ocean. With
winds averaging 70 kilometres per hour, the region has enormous potential for
sustainable energy. There are already 500 wind turbines scattered around the
state and the Mexican government wants to see that number quadruple.
The
atmosphere in the town has deteriorated steadily. Angry locals have sabotaged
the construction of an access road, occupied the town hall and forced the mayor
to flee. The protestors say they’ve had death threats from community leaders
who are determined to see the project go ahead at all costs.
PGGM and
the two other investors, the Mitsubishi Corporation and the Australian
investment fund Macquarie admit that the conflict has intensified recently but
are confident construction will continue.
Related Article:
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.