Over a hundred kilometers east of Talca, surrounded by mountain landscapes, stands the Cipreses hydroelectric power plant—an enduring monument to time. This year marks its seventy years of operation, making it both an energy milestone and a symbol of local identity for those in the surrounding community.
Cipreses is more than just a power plant; it was formerly a town, a community, and a way of life. Its walls and pathways carry the stories of many families, including José Luis Canales, the current operations and maintenance manager. His connection to the plant spans three generations—his father and grandmother worked there—leaving a lasting legacy that he respects every day.
José Luis describes returning to Cipreses as feeling like reconnecting with his childhood, blending pride and nostalgia. Growing up surrounded by mountains that served as his playground, he recalls summers full of sports, festivals, and a tight-knit community life that now appears nostalgic and belonging to another time.
Cipreses developed into a community with housing for workers, a school, theater, sports fields, a swimming pool, and a police station. It served as a model community under the national electrification plan endorsed by Endesa during the 1950s and 1960s. This sense of collective identity shaped the lives of generations raised there, and they continue to stay connected today through social media, old photographs, and casual gatherings.
Although many facilities were vacated in the 1990s, part of the site was later reactivated to support the construction of the Los Cóndores power plant. Today, its significance extends beyond its operational role. Cipreses stands as an architectural and human heritage that Enel aims to preserve, not only for its historical value but also for its potential as a space connecting memory, sustainable energy, and respect for nature.
At 70 years old, the Cipreses power plant remains a symbol of the nation's energy progress, while also being a site rich with emotions, memories, and strong roots. Its history persists, much like the water that sustains it, among those who once lived there.