AES cancels Chile's INNA green hydrogen plan after observatory warning
Short record: the main facts, with sources. A full case file has not been prepared.
AES Andes cancelled its INNA green hydrogen plan in Atacama in January 2026 after the European Southern Observatory said it would cause irreversible damage to the Paranal night sky. A port at Cabo Negro in Magallanes, approved in April 2025, is opposed by Kawésqar leader Leticia Caro.
- Kawésqar people — Leader objects to the Cabo Negro port and brine discharge Mongabay
What happened
The European Southern Observatory said the INNA plan in Atacama would cause irreversible damage to the Paranal sky, and AES Andes cancelled the application in January 2026.
Mongabay reported that Kawésqar leader Leticia Caro objected to the new Cabo Negro port and its brine discharge in Magallanes, and that the regional coastal commission approved the port in April 2025.
Mongabay reported that the port would cover 30 hectares of land and 5 hectares of sea.
A scientist estimated that about 2,900 turbines would be needed for the region to produce 13 percent of the world's green hydrogen, with 1,740 to 5,220 bird collisions a year.
In court and with insurers
Lawsuits and rulings
Insurers
What we don't know
Nature
- Not measured Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.
Record
- None on record Not stated in the sources reviewed: the reasons AES Andes gave for cancelling INNA, or whether the port's brine discharge has been assessed.
- None on record The turbine and bird-collision figures are a scientist's estimates; no link is given for them.
Did the harm stop?
Not stated in the sources reviewed.
Who paid?
Not stated in the sources reviewed.
Sources
Press and investigations
- ESO announcement on the INNA plan (eso2602)European Southern Observatory · 2026-02-02