Peaceful Resistance of Cahabón march in Guatemala City focuses on role of Madrid-based ACS in construction of dams

On May 10, PBI-Canada observed a march in Guatemala City in opposition to the hydroelectric dams built on Mayan Q’eqchi’ territory without consent.

Now, Prensa Comunitaria journalist Regina Pérez reports: “Mayan Q’eqchi’ protesters call attention to the lack of water in their communities in Alta Verapaz, due to the operation of several hydroelectric dams built by ACS’s Spanish company Cobra.”

The article continues: “The Q’eqchi’ women carried empty jars, as a sign that, in their communities, where the hydroelectric plants of the Oxec and Renace hydroelectric complexes operate, water is becoming more and more limited, a very necessary resource for the families, said María Caal, from the Sepoz community.”

“The first request is to know what sanction the Spanish government will impose on Florentino Pérez, who presided over ACS, whose company was subcontracted by the Guatemalan firm Corporación Multi Inversiones (CMI) for the construction of phases II, III and IV of the [Renace] hydroelectric complex. The indigenous population of the affected region claims that they were never consulted by Renace about the project.”

Florentino Pérez, Chairman of the ACS Group

The article concludes: “More than an hour after arriving at the Embassy, Minister Counselor Rafael Chaves Beardo went out to talk to Bernardo Caal and told him that ACS no longer belongs to Perez, since it is no longer owned by the company. However, Caal stated that Perez was the president of ACS when Cobra built part of the complex.”

Actividades de Construcción y Servicios (ACS) in Canada

The most recent annual report from ACS indicates that ACS Group companies include:

RAGADOS CANADA 150 King Street West, Suite 2103 Toronto, Ontario ON M5H 1J9 Canada Telephone: +1 647 260-5001 Fax: +1 647 260-5002 www.dragados-canada.com

Clark Builders Head Office 800 – 5555 Calgary Trail NW Edmonton, AB, Canada T6H 5P9 Canada Telephone: +1 780-395-3300 Fax : +1 780-395-3545 Email: edmonton@clarkbuilders.com www.clarkbuilders.com

ACS Infrastructure Canada, Inc. 155 University Avenue, Suite 900 Toronto Ontario M5H 3b7 Canada Telephone: +1-416-642-2161 Fax: +1-416-642-2162

Canadian engineering company provides conceptual design for Oxec III dam

The march in Guatemala City included a banner that reads: “We demand that the Oxec 3 licence be cancelled.”

In August 2017, Breakbulk Magazine reported that the Oxec II dam was “designed by Hatch Ltd., the Toronto, Canada-based engineering firm.” That article also quotes Hooman Ghassemi, Hatch’s project manager for Oxec II. It then notes: “Ghassemi has been working on Oxec II since 2015 and has just finished the conceptual design for Oxec III.”

Hooman Ghassemi, Hatch Ltd. Oxec II project manager

Commenting on OXEC II, Ian Ainslie, a Hatch project manager based in Niagara Falls, Ontario, also noted: “Hatch has been active in developing hydroelectric sites in Guatemala for over 20 years.” And Hatch’s managing director of power, Jim Sarvinis, says: “Projects like Oxec II are exactly why we do the type of work we do at Hatch.”

Last month, Power Technology noted: “Oxec III is a 75MW hydro power project. It is planned on Cahabon river/basin in Alta Verapaz. According to GlobalData, the project is currently at the permitting stage. It will be developed in a single phase. The project construction is likely to commence in 2025 and is expected to enter into commercial operation in 2027.”

It is not clear what further role Hatch Ltd. may have in the detailed design-build-engineering for the Oxec III hydroelectric dam.

While Hatch has numerous offices in Canada, a central address appears to be: Global Delivery Centre Sheridan Science & Technology Park 2800 Speakman Drive Mississauga Ontario L5K 2R7 Canada Tel: +1 905 855 7600 Fax: +1 905 855 9031

We will continue to follow this.

The Peace Brigades International-Guatemala Project has accompanied the Peaceful Resistance of Cahabón since July 2017.

PBI-Canada coordinator Brent Patterson observed the Mayan Q’eqchi’ march in defence of water in Guatemala City, May 10, 2023.