Enel Green Power Chile has taken legal action to remove the protesters that are forcibly blocking the entrance to the Finis Terrae 1 and 2 projects, putting worker safety at risk and interrupting the operations of a power plant that generates energy for the national grid. Access to both sites remains blocked.
On Monday June 14, a number of companies began blocking access to both the operational site and that under construction. The companies involved include those that have worked with subcontractors of the main project to develop Finis Terrae 1 and Finis Terrae 2 as well as other companies that have participated in projects that are unrelated to Enel.
"We understand the situation that these companies are going through and we have addressed every case in which an Enel contractor was involved in order to find solutions. Nevertheless, we cannot tolerate having money extorted from us to pay debts from projects that are not only not related to Enel, but are also from other regions. We cannot do this just so that we can end the strike and allow our workers to return to operate our plant. We call on the Energy Ministry, the Interior Ministry and other relevant authorities, to take the necessary steps to re-establish the rule of law", said Ali Shakhtur, CEO of Enel Green Power Chile. He added that, for this reason, the company has already filed criminal complaints and requested protection measures.
Enel Green Power Chile honors its contractual agreements and is up to date with payments to all contractors linked to its projects under construction. And in recent months, when it has been informed of problems with payments to subcontractors, it has put together a coherent strategy to address those issues. To date, this strategy has proven successful with contractors and suppliers, as in the cases of the Campos del Sol, Renaico and Valle del Sol projects.