Colbún, Ibereólica, and Innergex, together with the Atacama Regional Government, inaugurated the FIC 2025 projects in Freirina, delivering water infrastructure, safety, and community equipment works across four rural villages, with a combined investment exceeding $230 million that directly transforms the quality of life of local residents.
Through the Community Investment Funds (FIC) 2025, Colbún, Ibereólica, and Innergex, together with the Regional Government, inaugurated a series of works to bridge gaps and improve quality of life in Carrizalillo, Los Burros, La Reina, and Chañaral de Aceituno.
Freirina, Friday, April 17, 2026.- The municipality of Freirina was the setting for the inauguration of the FIC 2025 projects, an initiative distinguished by the collaborative work of energy generating companies: Colbún, Ibereólica, and Innergex, through their wind farms San Juan, Cabo Leones I, II and III, and Sarco. These companies consolidated an alliance with the Atacama Regional Government to promote the well-being of rural communities and deliver projects addressing priority needs in Freirina's rural areas.
The inaugurated projects represent a significant step forward in addressing infrastructure and equipment gaps across various coastal villages in the area. In Carrizalillo, 42 water rights certificates were delivered, bathrooms were built for the sports club and livestock farmers, a new well was drilled for the Rural Drinking Water (APR) system, and a generator was provided to the neighborhood association, with a total investment of $87,000,000. In Caleta Los Burros, through the management of the Independent Workers' Union, a water tanker truck was acquired to supply water to 45 families. In Caleta La Reina, a seaweed chopper and dryer were provided along with maintenance of the community center — projects totaling $145,000,000 co-funded by CORFO and the Atacama Integrated Territorial Program (PTI). Finally, in Chañaral de Aceituno, the focus was on safety with the expansion of the Fire Station, which now features a new hangar to shelter fire trucks and equipment.
Water security in Carrizalillo
Water resource regularization was one of the most significant milestones of the ceremonies, given its direct impact on residents' productive activities. Regarding the delivery of 42 water rights — both surface and underground — María Fernanda Avilés, Director of Water Resources for the Atacama Region, highlighted the importance of this achievement for the community.
“This public-private partnership plays a fundamental role in reaching milestones such as the granting of these 42 water rights. While we as the public sector provide all the necessary technical guidance for the procedures, private sector funding is essential to cover the consulting services that accompany residents, who could not manage these processes on their own. This joint effort is a model that could certainly be replicated in other areas of our region to continue driving local development.”
Mirta Milla, Treasurer of the Carrizalillo Irrigators' Association, valued the impact of the regularization for the community. “This progress benefits us enormously because we used to irrigate irregularly, and now, with the rights in hand, we can confidently say that the water is ours and we can apply for new projects to cultivate our gardens. Without the support of Colbún and the other wind farms, we would not have achieved anything, as these procedures are very costly for us as low-income residents. We are very grateful for this help, and our great dream now is to keep working together toward individual drip irrigation for each neighbor.”
The value of shared progress
Another key axis of the FIC 2025 investment was the improvement of fire safety capabilities along the coast. In Chañaral de Aceituno, the construction of an adequately equipped space at the Fire Station will allow equipment to be properly protected. “After years of moving from place to place, we now have a hangar that allows us to protect our equipment from the wear of coastal salinity and centralize our resources to improve response capacity. Thanks to the essential support of the wind farms, we have achieved an investment in infrastructure and equipment that would have been very difficult to reach on our own,” said Benjamín Oyarzún, volunteer of the Second Fire Company of Freirina at Caleta Chañaral de Aceituno.
For her part, Cindy Espinosa, leader of the Caleta Los Burros Sur Union, valued the prior work carried out at the roundtables from which the projects emerged. “This wonderful water truck is the fruit of long work at the tables with the wind farms, and it will benefit not only union members but our entire community across several kilometers. We are grateful for the companies' management, especially Parque San Juan for being the pioneer that gave us the 'wings' and the momentum needed to keep moving forward step by step in the development of our village.”
