Chilean fishermen win backing in Bocamina environmental dispute

Chile's Supreme Court has ordered the operator of two coal power plants to ensure the facilities do not pollute the oceans or kill marine life.The judges sided with local fishermen and environmentalists in the Bio Bio region of central Chile. 

They argued that the Bocamina power stations were sucking in crabs, sardines and other species and pumping out warm, contaminated water.The two plants are operated by a subsidiary of Spain's Endesa.    

In March of last year, thousands of dead prawns and dead crabs washed up on a beach in Coronel city near the plants, about 530km (330 miles) from the capital, Santiago.Local fisherman connected the deaths of sea animals to operations at the nearby power station.




Bocamina is one of several energy and mining projects that has come under fire in recent years in Chile.The country will have to try to find a balance between the needs of its mining-dominated economy and environmental protection.