{"id":57899,"date":"2026-05-11T11:43:07","date_gmt":"2026-05-11T08:43:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/geoconversation.org\/news\/amazon-to-build-data-center-in-chile-after-residents-lose-environmental-dispute\/"},"modified":"2026-05-11T11:51:35","modified_gmt":"2026-05-11T08:51:35","slug":"amazon-to-build-data-center-in-chile-after-residents-lose-environmental-dispute","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/geoconversation.org\/en\/news\/amazon-to-build-data-center-in-chile-after-residents-lose-environmental-dispute\/","title":{"rendered":"Amazon to Build Data Center in Chile After Residents Lose Environmental Dispute"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Residents of northern Santiago have lost their legal battle against Amazon Web Services (AWS). They had tried to stop the construction of a major data center, which they believe threatens a green area at the foot of the Andes. However, Chilean environmental authorities ruled in early April that the project could move forward, stating that issues related to the high-voltage transmission line would be addressed separately. <\/p>\n\n

Patricio Hern\u00e1ndez, one of the local residents, looks with concern at the hillside where construction is planned. \u201cThis is a green space<\/a>, a place for recreation and community,\u201d he says while walking along trails near a stream. He fears that the data center and related infrastructure will destroy the area\u2019s familiar way of life. <\/p>\n\n

AWS, for its part, says the facility will be designed for maximum resource efficiency, using technologies that minimize energy and water consumption. The company has already invested billions of dollars in Chile and plans to create its third major hub in Latin America after Brazil and Mexico. Total investment over 15 years is expected to exceed $4 billion. <\/p>\n\n

Chile\u2019s new president, Jos\u00e9 Antonio Kast, who supports reducing bureaucratic barriers, together with the country\u2019s advanced fiber-optic infrastructure, has made Santiago an attractive location for data centers. \u201cChile is becoming a magnet for this industry,\u201d says urban sustainability specialist Sebasti\u00e1n D\u00edaz, while warning that both the country and the region must balance investment with the protection of people and nature. <\/p>\n\n

AWS expects the Santiago complex, located about 8 kilometers from the city center, to operate for around 30 years. It will join thousands of similar facilities worldwide. For Hern\u00e1ndez, however, the construction of the data center and its associated infrastructure could dramatically change everyday life. \u201cWe wake up every day and see this green hill that gives us a little joy amid the grayness of the city,\u201d he says. <\/p>\n\n

The dispute between the technology giant and the local community reflects a broader global dilemma: how to balance the development of digital infrastructure<\/a> with environmental protection and quality of life.<\/p>\n\n

Source: Reuters<\/p>\n\n

Image: Reuters<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Residents of northern Santiago have lost their legal battle against Amazon Web Services (AWS). They had tried to stop the construction of a major data center, which they believe threatens a green area at the foot of the Andes. However, Chilean environmental authorities ruled in early April that the project could move forward, stating that […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":57898,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"Amazon to Build Data Center in Chile Despite Local Protests","_seopress_titles_desc":"Chile\u2019s environmental court has approved the construction of an AWS data center near Santiago. Local residents fear the loss of a green zone, while the company promises to minimize resource consumption. ","_seopress_robots_index":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[566,572],"tags":[613,612],"class_list":{"0":"post-57899","1":"news","2":"type-news","3":"status-publish","4":"has-post-thumbnail","6":"category-ecology","7":"category-it","8":"tag-environmental-impact-assessment","9":"tag-environmental-legislation"},"acf":[],"pbg_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/geoconversation.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/data-center-stroitelstvo-chili.webp",1920,1080,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/geoconversation.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/data-center-stroitelstvo-chili-150x84.webp",150,84,true],"medium":["https:\/\/geoconversation.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/data-center-stroitelstvo-chili-300x169.webp",300,169,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/geoconversation.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/data-center-stroitelstvo-chili-768x432.webp",768,432,true],"large":["https:\/\/geoconversation.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/data-center-stroitelstvo-chili-1024x576.webp",1024,576,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/geoconversation.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/data-center-stroitelstvo-chili-1536x864.webp",1536,864,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/geoconversation.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/data-center-stroitelstvo-chili.webp",1920,1080,false],"bricks_large_16x9":["https:\/\/geoconversation.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/data-center-stroitelstvo-chili-1200x675.webp",1200,675,true],"bricks_large":["https:\/\/geoconversation.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/data-center-stroitelstvo-chili-1200x675.webp",1200,675,true],"bricks_large_square":["https:\/\/geoconversation.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/data-center-stroitelstvo-chili-1200x1080.webp",1200,1080,true],"bricks_medium":["https:\/\/geoconversation.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/data-center-stroitelstvo-chili-600x338.webp",600,338,true],"bricks_medium_square":["https:\/\/geoconversation.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/data-center-stroitelstvo-chili-600x600.webp",600,600,true]},"pbg_author_info":{"display_name":"Yulia Frolova","author_link":"https:\/\/geoconversation.org\/en\/author\/giulia-nikolaevna\/","author_img":false},"pbg_comment_info":" No Comments","pbg_excerpt":"Residents of northern Santiago have lost their legal battle against Amazon Web Services (AWS). They had tried to stop the construction of a major data center, which they believe threatens a green area at the foot of the Andes. However, Chilean environmental authorities ruled in early April that the project could move forward, stating that…","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/geoconversation.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/57899","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/geoconversation.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/geoconversation.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/news"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/geoconversation.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/geoconversation.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=57899"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/geoconversation.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/57899\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":57900,"href":"https:\/\/geoconversation.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/57899\/revisions\/57900"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/geoconversation.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/57898"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/geoconversation.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=57899"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/geoconversation.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=57899"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/geoconversation.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=57899"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}