Council of Ministers Approves RCA for Valparaíso Hills Terminal

The recent confirmation of the Environmental Qualification Resolution (RCA) by the Council of Ministers for the Terminal Cerros de Valparaíso (TCVAL) – Costanera Site project generated a consensus among various stakeholders in the port and transport industry, who described the approval as an advancement for Chile.

It is worth mentioning that this approval concludes a technical and citizen debate that lasted 12 years. The initiative includes the construction of a new 430-meter long berth with a 15.5-meter draft, designed to accommodate New Panamax vessels.

Additionally, the project includes urban integration measures such as a 1.2-kilometer coastal promenade and the construction of a new elevator on Arrayán hill.

In this regard, PortalPortuario spoke with various voices, who described the ratification of the RCA as an "advancement" for the country's infrastructure.

For Carlos Cruz, executive director of the Infrastructure Policy Council (CPI), this milestone is of utmost importance for realizing the expansion of the port's maritime facilities, stating that "this approval is a tremendous signal to move forward with this. I believe it will be a very strong incentive for the port's expansion to finally materialize and for that to serve to activate Valparaíso's economy".

Meanwhile, Gloria Hutt, who served as Minister of Transport and Telecommunications during the second administration of former president Sebastián Piñera (2018-2022), praised the validation of the RCA, emphasizing the timeframes in which such initiatives are approved.

"For Chile, any advance in port capacity has enormous value, especially given the time it takes to get projects off the ground and the urgent need for flexibility. For that, the long-term plan includes a major expansion in the central zone of Chile, primarily in the Valparaíso Region; in San Antonio, there is the large-scale port project with an important logistics network, and Valparaíso must also grow," Hutt remarked.

In the same vein, Mabel Leva, executive director of Conecta Logística, stated that "it is a tremendous signal for the country, very much aligned with the port development we need for Chile. Just as it was approved for San Antonio, I believe this is what we need because these projects must advance jointly to provide the infrastructure we need for the country regarding cargo growth in the coming years".

However, there are also dissenting voices. For example, for Francesco Schiaffino, former port executive and industry expert, the Costanera Site has a series of shortcomings, mainly in the city-port connection.

"This project does not represent something very relevant, given that it has conflicts with the city and a complex history in terms of its wave protection. There are better projects, so there is no positive evaluation. More than Valparaíso, I would be concerned about the San Antonio project," Schiaffino emphasized.

Furthermore, the expert added that to materialize the port expansion, there were better-qualified options. "The only thing that has been gained in 20 years with the port company is for it to understand that this does not allow for two operators. The same actors are today defending intra-port competition, with a failed process, an error in tendering a port that later fell through, and today they insist on using that design – which was not ideal – there is another one that is much better, with a single continuous front, therefore, I don't see the interest," he concluded.