AES Chile Reinforces Its Commitment to Forest Fire Prevention in Los Ángeles and Mulchén

January 7, 2025

Between December 2024 and March 2025, the company has deployed a team to combat forest fires in the vicinity of its four wind farms in these communes, which will also help neighboring communities.

The Biobío region, known for its rich forests and natural landscapes, faces the challenge of high temperatures every summer, increasing the risk of forest fires. In this context, AES Chile, in line with its primary value of safety, has implemented a first response brigade in its four southern wind farms located in Los Ángeles and Mulchén, with the aim of protecting not only its facilities but also neighboring communities.

This initiative, which began in 2023, has shown positive results and is once again operational from December 2024 to March 2025. The brigade has three water trucks with a capacity of 20,000 liters, three pickup trucks equipped with specialized firefighting and hydration tools, and a trained team that works with manual tools and communication systems to act efficiently in emergencies.

In collaboration with the local company OPEM (which has personnel trained as forest firefighters), joint inspections have been carried out in the territory to identify priority areas where firebreaks or other preventive measures are needed.

Additionally, an action protocol has been established that coordinates operations through the Operation and Maintenance Managers of AES Chile, Rubén Barahona (Los Olmos and Mesamávida) and Cristián Olivares (Campo Lindo and San Matías).

Rubén Barahona, Operation and Maintenance Manager of the Los Olmos and Mesamávida wind farms, mentions that "the implementation of water trucks in the wind farms fulfills the objective of being a first response to a fire, whether forest, agricultural, or within our communities, while waiting for the arrival of firefighters".

Rolando Escobar, president of the Paso de Arena neighborhood association, states regarding this AES Chile brigade that "for us, this fire service is an honor, because with the dry grass here, we are prone to a fire at any moment. They are always providing this service in the rural area".

Complementarily, and as part of its commitment to neighboring communities, the brigade's water trucks also perform daily humidification tasks on the main roads of nearby rural areas.
This action, which contributes to fire prevention and improves traffic conditions, has been positively valued by the neighbors, who highlight the impact on their quality of life.

Cristián Olivares, Operation and Maintenance Manager of the Campo Lindo and San Matías wind farms, comments that "this southern area is very lush and has a lot of vegetation, with a very dry summer. All this creates a very conducive environment for the proliferation of fires. As a company, we have allocated significant resources to have trucks available, humidifying the roads day by day".

Regarding this, Escobar states that "it is very important for us that AES Chile is always humidifying, providing this service to the rural community. I am enormously grateful to the Mesamávida wind farm for their cooperation".

With these initiatives, AES Chile reaffirms its commitment to the safety of people, environmental protection, and the well-being of the Biobío communities, strengthening its role as a responsible actor in the energy sector.