Astronomers had warned that proximity of INNA facility to telescopes would have irreparably damaged observation
The scientific community is celebrating the cancellation of a project which would have threatened the clearest skies in the world in Chile’s Atacama Desert.
The proposed $10bn, 3,000-hectare green hydrogen and ammonia production facility, known as INNA, included a port, transport links to the coast and three solar power plants, and had been under evaluation by Chile’s environmental regulator for almost a year.
Astronomers had warned repeatedly that its proximity to some of the world’s most powerful telescopes would have irreparably damaged observation in the area, which is the best site in the world for ground-based astronomy.
“This cancellation means that the INNA project will no longer have a negative impact on the Paranal Observatory,” said Itziar de Gregorio, the European Southern Observatory’s (ESO) representative in Chile, where it operates three telescope complexes.
