Community resistance to wind projects: two case studies in southern Chile

Abstract

This article addresses the resistance of local communities to the construction of power plants based on wind energy. The research included two case studies in southern Chile: the Mesamávida park in the city of Los Ángeles, Biobío Region and the Calbuco project in the homonymous commune in the Los Lagos region. The objective of this work was to identify the main factors that have built the growing community opposition to this type of initiatives despite being considered beneficial due to their non-polluting nature. The results point to discourses that are articulated at different levels, from questions related to environmental impacts to structural criticism of the territorial development model, considering aspects such as environmental participation and access to justice.