In the next few hours, the Argentine government will remove the solar panels of the Argentine Navy that were installed by mistake in Chilean territory and that led trans-Andean president Gabriel Boric to demand their immediate removal. After 3 p.m. this Monday, the Navy itself reported that finally “personnel and resources were transferred to begin the removal of a solar panel installed in the territory of the sister republic of Chile, north of the Island of Tierra del Fuego.”
As advanced Infobae This morning, the decision to remove the panels was announced today after communications from Foreign Minister Diana Mondino and the Minister of Defense, Luis Petri, which were finalized after complaints raised by the Chilean president regarding Argentina’s delays in solving the situation. “Remove the panels as soon as possible or we will do it”was Boric’s statement that set off the alarms.
In the last few hours, the Government acknowledged the error in the installation of those solar panels, but did not give dates for when they would be removed. According to the information that emerged this morning, The intention of Javier Milei’s government is to remove them tomorrow. “It will depend on the weather“, they responded to Infobae the sources to the consultation on whether the disassembly will be done tomorrow.
The official statement from the Argentine Navy established that “on this day, personnel and means were transferred to begin the removal of a solar panel installed in the territory of the sister republic of Chile, north of the Island of Tierra del Fire”.
“This panel is part of a set of three structures consisting of a hybrid energy system that contributes to enhancing the value of the facilities of the Maritime Traffic Surveillance and Control Post (PVYCTM) MILESTONE 1 dependent on the Argentine Navy and adjacent to with the ‘Cabo Espíritu Santo’ Surveillance Post, operated by personnel from the Chilean Navy,” the statement continued.
And in the final paragraphs, it was described that “the solar panels were installed to the north of the housing modules, and following the limit of the existing perimeter wiring, which was stipulated in the project that began in April 2023. The involuntary error of “The placement of one of the panels 3 meters within Chilean territory, the removal was coordinated with the corresponding contractor company for its subsequent relocation within Argentine territory.”
On April 29, the Argentina Army inaugurated the “Maritime Traffic Surveillance and Control Post Milestone 1”, on the border that divides the country with Chile in the heart of Patagonia. However, some solar panels used to provide electricity were passed three meters to Chilean territory, causing discomfort in the Chilean government that formally claimed the Pink House.
The Argentine ambassador to Chile, Jorge Faurie, had spoken about the issue last week when tension began to escalate and was the first to publicly officially admit the error. “It is not such an impressive work, are solar panels placed but they did not carefully check the coordinates that marked the limit. Whoever installed the solar panels is a company that donated those panels. He was guided by a fence of a stay that is in the area.”
The Mirgor Foundation and Total Energies were in charge of making the donation in Milestone 1, where the Navy carries out its specific activities of sovereign control of the Argentine territorial sea. There, two transportable modules were installed, specially designed to meet the housing and work needs of the personnel who carry out satellite monitoring of the Strait of Magellan. As officially reported on the day of the inauguration, the company Total Energies provided materials and the installation of a renewable electricity generation system, supported by the gas generation that the company has provided to the post for decades.
The dismantling of the structure was a solution that was scheduled to be confirmed this week, but Boric’s statements precipitated internal communications to de-escalate diplomatic tension.
Both presidents have divergent political views, but the bond does not have the harsh characteristics that exist with other leaders. With Boric Milei he did not have clashes similar to those of Lula Da Silva or Gustavo Petro, two progressive leaders in Latin America. In fact, the trans-Andean president was present on December 10, when he assumed the new government.
“We learned some time ago that Argentina, when installing a military base in the Patagonia region, installed solar panels in Chilean territory. We received an apology from the Argentine Foreign Ministry, but I would like to express to you very clearly that borders are not something that can be ambiguous and that it is a basic principle of respect between countries and that therefore They must remove those solar panels as soon as possible or we are going to do it“Boric said in statements to the press.
Given these statements, which the press published today, alarms were activated in the Government and it was decided to quickly defuse a potential diplomatic escalation.
