Alberto Fernández expressed his interest in Angela Merkel for the financing of a dam in Neuquén

Alberto Fernández expressed by letter to Chancellor Angela Merkel his interest in resuming funding for the project to build a hydroelectric dam in Neuquén, arguing that it is a job “of great importance for the national state”.

The work to which Fernández’s letter refers to the head of the German government is dated Tuesday 15 last and refers to the Chihuido I Multipurpose Harvest Project. It is designed to take advantage of the Neuquén River, 5.5 kilometers downstream from its confluence with the Agrio River and 155 kilometers from the town of the same name.

“Following the presentation made on November 18 of this year by the de facto lawyer of the company HELPORT SA, representative of the Grant Consortium of the aforementioned works, I would like to inform you that the progress of the execution of the aforementioned project is considered relevant this national state. “Fernández told Merkel, as he could read Bugle in the letter he sent you.

The private consortium that won the tender for Chihuido is led by Helport (the construction company of Corporación América, owned by Eduardo Eurnekian), and is also made up of Panedile, Techint, Eleprint and Chediak.

In other words, today, the Chihuido project is German (Voigth Hydro) and Argentinian (with Corporación América in the lead).

At a time when foreign capital is leaving Argentina, instead of settling in or overcoming the crisis, the advancement of these public works would also have a geopolitical sense because it involves European investments, in an area where the Chinese have gained territory in Argentina. .

At the time, when at the beginning of the year, and during her European tour, Fernández was with Merkel, the Chancellor expressed her willingness to help Argentina in the negotiations on the debt, with the bondholders and the IMF. It also emerged that his government had told Fernández during this visit to Berlin that Argentina was the “beachhead” of investments in infrastructure and in particular the hydroelectric plants that the Chinese advance was challenging, which came from attract more US $ 4,500 million for railway works.

But there is a before and an after with Chihuido. In 2018, journalist Francisco Olivera, revealed that there was “unease” of the Merkel government with that of Mauricio Macri after a delegation from Voight traveled to Argentina to advance the project, after the failure negotiations. with the Russians.

Voight executives who visited Argentina in 2018 sought to meet with Macri, but it turned out that they were referred to his chief of staff, Marcos Peña and their vice, Gustavo Lopetegui, ended up being treaty. There, they were informed that the work had been suspended because the Argentine state could not generate public spending as part of its negotiations with the IMF.

Two years ago, there was talk that the construction of Chihuido required an investment of 2,200 million USD: these 85% had to be supplied by German and Italian suppliers, guaranteed by the German export agency, Euler Hermes, more the same and to a lesser extent by Italy. The remaining 15% was to be provided by the state and this is what halted negotiations in 2018.

In Fernández’s letter to Merkel, there is no question of values. “The technical teams are dedicated to review of the structuring of the new financial proposal, with the detailed scope, ”he wrote. And he said this infrastructure works “They have a strong impact on the socio-economic development” of Argentina and on “the quality of life of the population”.

In the 2021 budget approved by Congress, the national state approved the support or guarantee of the province of Neuquén for this project.

The sources soaked in the last negotiations did not mention the new values ​​mentioned for carrying out the work. But they stressed that with regard to the 15% that can still be in conflict if public spending is generated in the face of negotiations with the IMF, discussions are underway for the Germans to seek another type of European financing that complements the 85%. this will bring private and Argentinian businessmen.