Citizen Participation concerning to Penco-Lirquén LNG Terminal Project: An Ethnographic Approach

Abstract

This article analyzes the citizen participation process related to the Penco-Lirquén Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) Terminal project, which includes the installation of industrial infrastructure for power generation on the coast of the Penco Commune in the Biobío, region in Chile. Although the project is under evaluation by the competent environmental organizations, the local community, concerned about the socio-environmental risks posed by the project, has been carrying out a series of actions from 2013 onwards. The qualitative research adopts an ethnographic method to approach different instances of citizen participation concerning to the project, both informal and those defined by the Environmental Assessment Service (SEA). The results show limitations of institutional citizen participation, highlighting its low representativeness, difficulty of access and understanding, the use of technical language, little empathetic and repressive scenarios. There is also evidence of citizen participation far from the pro-posal by the state that is born from and for the community, with different activities organized in a self-managed way, linked to the delivery of information, art and culture, aimed at strengthening community ties.