Astronomers relieved as planned industrial plant near Paranal is cancelled

AES Andes cancelled the planned INNA hydrogen plant near ESO's Cerro Paranal, and ESO said the project could have increased light pollution above Paranal by up to 35%.

A planned green hydrogen industrial complex called INNA near the European Southern Observatory's Cerro Paranal site has been cancelled by developer AES Andes. The proposal was first submitted in 2024 and was estimated at about $10 billion. ESO had warned that light from the project could significantly raise sky brightness over Paranal, which supports some of the world's most sensitive optical telescopes. The Atacama Desert is a globally important astronomy region that already hosts the Very Large Telescope, the Vera C. Rubin Observatory, and the under-construction Extremely Large Telescope. Known details: - AES Andes announced the cancellation and said it will focus on renewable energy and energy storage projects in line with its parent company's guidelines. - INNA was proposed as a 7,465-acre industrial park for green hydrogen and was first put forward in 2024 at an estimated cost of $10 billion. - ESO's calculations reported that light pollution above Paranal could increase by up to 35% if the site were built as planned. - The Very Large Telescope (VLT), the under-construction Extremely Large Telescope (ELT) on Cerro Armazones, and other observatories in the region were identified as potentially affected. - AES Andes did not provide a detailed reason for cancelling INNA beyond its public statement. Summary: The cancellation removes a planned source of additional light near Paranal and preserves conditions that support highly sensitive astronomical observations. AES Andes said it will prioritise renewable energy and storage work but did not give a specific reason for ending INNA. Undetermined at this time.