In a relief for skywatchers worldwide, Chile has canceled a massive $10 billion industrial project that endangered the Atacama Desert’s legendary clear nights. This bone-dry expanse in northern Chile is renowned as the best place on Earth for optical astronomy, with minimal cloud cover and low atmospheric interference year-round.
The INNA green hydrogen plant, pitched by AES Andes, promised clean energy production but at a steep cost to science. Covering 3,000 hectares near the Paranal Observatory, it featured solar farms, a port, and ammonia facilities that would generate crippling light pollution. Scientists rallied against it, highlighting how artificial lights would drown out faint celestial objects visible only through Paranal’s state-of-the-art telescopes operated by ESO.
ESO’s Itziar de Gregorio welcomed the news: “No adverse effects on Paranal now.” Yet she cautioned that mega-projects spotlight the urgent need for protected zones around Chile’s observatories. The Environmental Evaluation Service finalized the withdrawal after talks with AES Andes, the arm of U.S. energy giant AES active in coal, gas, hydro, wind, and solar ventures regionally.
Opposition peaked with warnings from top astronomers, including 2020 Nobel winner Reinhard Genzel’s plea to scrap the plan. They stressed no compelling reason justified placing such a facility so close to premier telescopes. AES cited internal analysis for the pullback.
The Atacama isn’t just a research powerhouse; it’s a tourist magnet for stargazing enthusiasts. This decision safeguards its status as a jewel of ground-based astronomy, preventing a potential disaster for light-sensitive observations. As green energy pushes forward, this case sets a precedent for harmonizing development with scientific preservation.