AES Andes, a subsidiary of the US company AES Corporation, is planning a massive industrial complex near Chile’s Paranal Observatory, home to some of the darkest and clearest skies in the world. This project, just 5 to 11 kilometers from the observatory, poses a significant threat to astronomical research, including Nobel Prize-winning discoveries. The complex includes a port, ammonia and hydrogen plants, and thousands of electricity generation units. ESO and astronomers worldwide are calling for the project’s relocation to protect the pristine skies of Paranal, vital for scientific exploration of the cosmos. The potential impact on astronomy and humanity is unprecedented.
https://www.eso.org/public/news/eso2501/