The company, which belongs to Angelini group, wanted to have access to two kilometres of coastline, but the Authority on Marine Issues refused.
In addition to the technical details regarding CELCO´s project, there was opposition from the community of Valdivia.

Since the project became known, the local groups have clearly expressed their opinion. In the recent weeks, the Committee in Defense of the Sea, made up by fishermen, indigenous people and environmentalists, submitted approximately 10 thousand letters in rejection to CELCO´s project, according to the local newspaper El Ciudadano.

Meanwhile, Valdivia Noticias news agency pointed out that the company has the option now to apply again and submitt new documentation to the Port Authority.

However, the decision of the Authority on Marine Issues does not imply any kid of questioning by Chilean authorities to the pulpmill-forestry model. In January, a coalition of social organizations rejected a governmental decision that increased benefits to the companies of the sector, under a 1974 law to subsidize forestry plantations.

During a forum that took place in Temuco, the environmentalist groups pointed out that this regulation passed during the military dictatorship has contributed to “an unfair and disproportionate land grabbing”, replacing native forests and occupying good-quality agricultural land “to make it useless”.

In this process, the territories of Mapuche indigenous communities have slowly been taken by private companies, mainly to the benefit of the two most important economic groups of the industry: Matte family, owner of CMPC company, and the Angelini Group.