Majes Siguas II is at a decisive stage regarding his future. The works have been stalled for 4 years and their possible reactivation is in the hands of the Arequipa Regional Council (CRA) since October 19, 2021. The explosion of the case “The Sons of the Condor” caused as collateral damage the postponement of the debate on addendum 13 for the megaproject in the plenary session of the CRA.
“I agree with addendum 13. It is about modernizing the project. All is not lost for Arequipa we have to see an immediate solution. No more time can be wasted,” says Graciano del Carpio Tejada, president of the Regional Council of Deans of Professional Colleges of Arequipa (Conrede).
He maintains that many professionals in the macro region will benefit from the project. From agronomists, architects, civil and hydraulic engineers to field workers. According to the Majes Autonomous Authority (Autodema), it is 90 thousand direct jobs and 150 thousand indirect. “It is a large project that will allow us to export quantities of product, but also improve roads, towns. It’s going to be a boom. Not only would there be agricultural benefits, but it is going to modernize our region and will provide jobs in large quantities,” said Del Carpio.
If the works are not reactivated, those affected will be the entire Arequipa region, says Jesús Díaz Cano, former president of the Arequipa Agricultural Society (SADA). He explained that agricultural exports will attract “wealth” to the region because there are 38,500 hectares to be irrigated for that purpose. For Díaz, one of the main problems that take their toll on the project is “that the politicians have conceived it very badly.” It maintains that limits should have been set for the concessionaire to avoid the current problems.
Danger of loss
The Regional Government of Arequipa has received two letters with the warning to start arbitrations for millionaire damages. One of the concessionaire of the work, Cobra, who reactivated the time for the expiration of the contract. Among the company’s demands is the approval of addendum 13, which involves “technological change” changing mainly 160 kilometers of water conduction from canals to pipes. The other letter is from Inland Energy SAC, which has the concession to execute the Lluclla hydroelectric plant. He warns that he will claim US$ 289 million for damages and for not operating Lluclla.
For Díaz, ownership of the project must be from the central government. “The State must take responsibility for the project in order to confront Cobra and reach a good understanding and that Majes Siguas II does not die.”
He pointed out that many concessions were given to the concessionaire, demonstrated by the continuous additions that were admitted by the GRA. “Cobra feels the owner of the project and makes the changes without the State having the option of giving its opinion,” he added.
For his part, the regional councilor Harberth Zúñiga and member of the Agriculture Commission, maintained that the letter of Inland Energy it would be due to a concern of businessmen in the face of the obvious risks of a possible loss of investment. “They have done studies and they are worried about not building the hydroelectric plant,” he said.
In the meantime, he stressed that the elaboration of the opinion of addendum 13 would be politicized. He explained that the commission chaired by Elmer Pinto is organizing meetings with farmers from El Pedregal (Majes) to talk about the addendum. “But the ones who should go are the Autodema technicians. We are politicians, surely it is becoming politicized in some way, ”he said.
In addition, in the meetings of technicians he perceived positions of “radical left”. He hopes that the discussion of the concessionaire’s proposal does not lose its course and that there should be another space where the Majes II model is discussed, for example.
He pointed out that the commission should have the opinion ready and put it up for debate in a maximum of 45 days, which is the period in which the Regional Government has time to answer (30 days) the letter to the Cobra company and then request a reconsideration (15 days). He added that although there is no need to hurry, time should not stop passing.
Counselor Elmer Pinto: There is no damage or harm
The president of the Agriculture Commission, Elmer Pinto, said that Inland Energy SAC seeks to alarm with the letter it sent to the Regional Government of Arequipa requesting “direct treatment” for failure to supply the resource with which the Lluclla hydroelectric plant will work. “They have not invested a single sun, there is no direct relationship that we know of in the GRA, and therefore, there is no damage or harm,” he said.
He described as tendentious declarations the one of the representatives of the company. He called on them to come to the Regional Council to have a conversation. “It has to be reviewed (the concession) we do not want natural resources and the resources of Peruvians to be squandered for the benefit of one or two companies.”
He argued that as soon as they were appointed to chair the commission, since January 7, they are being pressured. “They want us to issue the opinion in a day or two. Is that responsible?” he asked.
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