thursday, march 01, 2012
Peruvian Hydroelectric Dams
In the past six months a trio of Brazilian-backed hydroelectric dams planned for the Peruvian Amazon have stalled raising questions about the prospects for such projects in the future.The projects -- the 2,000-MW Inambari Dam, the 1,278-MW Tambo-40 dam and the 2,000-MW Pakitzapango Dam -- were strongly opposed by indigenous groups who organized numerous protests against them, several of which turned violent.
The projects were part of a bilateral pact between Peru and Brazil agreed to last year for the construction of dams in the Andean nation that would send power to it's eastern neighbor. My story on the situation, Brazil's Peruvian Hydroelectric Plans Meet Resistance, is in this week's issue of Engineering News-Record.
read more
monday, december 27, 2010
Points South: South American Cities Still Struggle With Shantytowns
Almost every major South American city suffers its shantytown. Massive population shifts and insufficient low-cost housing have created vast satellite cities around metropolitan centers that are beset by poverty, crime and dire lack of infrastructure.Over the past several decades, rural populations and immigrants descended on metropolitan areas looking for jobs and better living conditions. As the number of new arrivals dwarfed the existing housing, massive land-grabs of unused real estate occurred. The legal limbo often creates a situation for criminal gangs to take over and use the shantytowns as their base of operations.
My post about the topic South American Cities Still Struggle With Shantytowns is over at Points South, my blog on Latin American construction for ENR.com.
tuesday, december 07, 2010
The Lima Metro Line 1
Lima, Peru's $410-million elevated electric train line is on track for completion in June of next year, at the end of a remarkably short 18-month work schedule.The project involves the construction of 11.7 kilometers of new train line and nine stations as well as the complete refurbishment of 9.8 km of existing line and seven stations. It was was first begun by the Peruvian government in 1985 but construction was idled soon after due to a financial crisis and violent leftist insurgency.
The work is being conducted by the Consorcio Tren Eléctrico comprised of the Brazilian construction firm Odebrecht, the Peruvian company Graña y Montero and Siemens Mobility. My story on the project, New Lima Metro on Track, as well as a slideshow of photos are in the current edition of Engineering-News Record.
wednesday, october 27, 2010
Machu Picchu
The famed "lost city" of the Incas, Machu Picchu, has been a tourist hotspot for decades. During the peak of the season more than 2,500 visitors a day descend on the ruins.Earlier this year, torrential rains washed away the sole link from the site to the outside world -- an 80-mile-long railway. Thousands of tourists had to be airlifted out by helicopter and the site was cut off for weeks until repairs could be made.
As a result, Peruvian legislators have revived a controversial measure to construct a roadway that would link a highway to the north of Machu Picchu to Aguas Calientes, the tourist town that services the ruins. The proposal has refueled concerns that the enormous popularity of the site may be endangering it.
My story on the proposed road, Peru Ponders Machu Picchu Access Road, is in this issue of Engineering News-Record and it is accompanied with a slideshow of pictures as well.
wednesday, september 29, 2010
The Los Olmos Project
The effort to bore a 20-kilometer tunnel through the Andes has restarted in Northern Peru after months of delay.Work on the $247-million Los Olmos irrigation project was brought to a halt last April when the tunnel-boring machine was damaged by rock bursts in April.
On July 8, engineers with Brazilian construction firm Odebrecht were able to restart the TBM and, a month later, work began on the tunnel's opposite approach using conventional drill-and-blast methods.
The tunnel breakthrough is now slated for spring 2012, and project completion should follow six months later -- more than two years after its originally scheduled finish.
My story, Los Olmos Tunneling Resumes, is on ENR.com.
thursday, september 16, 2010
Points South: Hiking Along the Great Inca Road
The Qhapaq Ñan or Inka Nanni is known as the “Great Inca Road” and it is what remains of one of the engineering marvels of the world. When it was built it was, by far, the greatest infrastructure achievement in the Western Hemisphere.The heart of the system was a massive north-south roadway – the Great Inca Road – stretched more than 3,700 miles. That road still exists and is in use by the residents of the Andean highlands. While many sections have fallen into disrepair the remnants of the original road are quite easy to find and follow for great distances.
My post about my visit to this engineering wonder Hiking Along the Great Inca Road is over at Points South, my blog on Latin American construction for ENR.com.
saturday, june 19, 2010
The Billinghurst Bridge
The Billinghurst Bridge over the Madre de Dios River in the Southern Peruvian Amazon is slated to be finished in December of this year - almost three decades from when the project was inaugurated.The $25.71 million effort to build the 722-meter-long span was begun in 1978 and the parts for the steel suspension bridge were fabricated in Austria and sent to Peru for assembly. But financial and social upheaval in the country put the project on hold.
Today, the consortium building the Interoceanic Highway, Conirsa, has undertaken the effort to build the bridge and plans to have it finished in time for the road's official opening in December.
My story on the bridge construction, "Peru Project Spans One River, Three Decades" is in this week's issue of Engineering News-Record and a slideshow of images is on the magazine's website as well.
wednesday, may 19, 2010
The Los Olmos Project
The Los Olmos project in Northern Peru is one of the most challenging engineering efforts in the world. The $247 million undertaking is designed to bring water from the Western slopes of the Andes to the dry Pacific coastland through a 20-kilometer-long tunnel.Two years ago I penned an article examining Brazilian construction firm Odebrecht's effort to build the tunnel, the second deepest being excavated in the world. It was slated for completion last month.
The delay has been caused by rock bursts which have been buffeting the tunnel boring machine boring the tunnel over the past year. One massive one that struck on April 29 has indefinitely halted work after damaging a key part of the machine.
My story on the difficulties the project is facing, Series of Rock-Bursts Throws Peruvian Tunnel Job Offtrack. read more
thursday, april 01, 2010
Points South: Machu Picchu Reopens After Flooding
Peru's Machu Picchu re-opened this week, less than two months after torrential rains cut off the one rail link between the remote ruins and the rest of Peru. The incident stranded thousands of tourists and the Peruvian government were forced to airlift them out by helicopter.Despite the devastating floodwaters in the valley below, Machu Picchu itself was undamaged by the unusually strong rainfalls - partially because of the sophisticated drainage systems the Incan engineers incorporated in the ridgetop citadel's design.
My post about the disaster and recovery effortsMachu Picchu Reopens After Flooding is over at Points South, my blog on Latin American construction at ENR.com.
wednesday, march 31, 2010
Lima's El Metropolitano
Peru's capital city of Lima is set to unveil its $538-million integrated urban bus system commonly known as El Metropolitano in April.The system, based on Bogota, Colombia's successful TransMileneo system, will feature a 26-kilometer primary bus line built in the center lanes of the city's main north-south arterial roads, with a fleet of 522 natural-gas-powered buses. Officials say it will be able to handle up to 700,000 passengers daily when completely operational at the end of may.
The centerpiece of the project is an $18 million central terminal constructed beneath the Promenade of Naval Heroes in Central Lima designed to handle 110,000 passengers a day.
My story, Growing Transit System in Lima, Peru Bringing Order to 'Chaos', is in this week's Engineering News-Record. In addition, it features a slideshow of images from the project.
wednesday, march 31, 2010
South America Power Transmission
Last year, Brazil was hit by a massive blackout that plunged two-thirds of the country into darkness for hours. In March, Chile suffered a power outage that left almost 80 percent of the population without power for hours.Both incidents occurred when a localized failure in the power grid led to a chain reaction that caused a widespread failure in the country's transmission system. They serve as a warning for many countries in the region that have let the power grids languish while infrastructure development has been focused elsewhere.
Brazil and Peru are examples of two countries that have poured billions of dollars into the electric power grid infrastructure in an effort to stave off blackouts in the coming years. My story, In South America, Trouble on the Line, is in this week's Engineering News-Record.
wednesday, march 03, 2010
The Inambari Hydroelectric Project
The momentum behind a proposed 2,000MW hydroelectric facility in the Peruvian Amazon is gaining as Brazilian interests continue to back the effort.The Brazilian consortium behind the project, Empresa de Generacion Electrica Amazonas Sur S.A.C. (EGASUR), says construction of the dam on the Inambari river could begin by the end of this year and be completed by 2014.
If approved by Peru's Ministry of Mines and Energy the consortium would be required to replace more than 100 kilometers of the InterOceanic highway slated for completion later this year.
My story, Brazil Backs $4-Billion Peruvian Hydropower Project, is in this week's issue of Engineering News-Record.
wednesday, february 03, 2010
Points South: El Niño’s Destructive Return
El Niño has returned to South America with a vengeance. The quasi-periodic weather pattern - also known as the Southern Oscillation, or simply ENSO - occurs every five to eight years and is characterized by unusually warm sea surface temperature in the equatorial Pacific Ocean.Peru, Bolivia and Venezuela have all been hit particularly hard by abnormal weather conditions varying from torrential floods to dire drought. For all the regions involved, there is little hope until the weather patterns resume a more normal cycle – something that typically isn’t expected for another three months.
My post about the topic El Niño’s Destructive Return is over at Points South, my blog on Latin American construction at ENR.com.
wednesday, june 10, 2009
Points South: The Legacy of The War in the Pacific
The War in the Pacific was fought 130 years ago but the political legacy of the conflict continues to vex the countries that were embroiled in it – Bolivia, Peru and Chile.The five-year conflict was fought for control of Atacama Desert, a 600-mile-long strip of land on the Pacific Coast of South America. The region remains the focus of contentious disagreements between the three countries that sometimes threatens to destabilize regional tranquility.
My post about the topic The Legacy of The War in the Pacific is over at Points South, my blog on Latin American construction at ENR.com.
thursday, may 21, 2009
Points South: Peruvian Roads Lead to Tourism
The InterOceanic Highway project is a $1.3 billion effort to complete a paved road through Southern Peru that is the final link in a mid-South American ocean-to-ocean roadway. Two consortiums led by Brazilian construction giants Odebrecht and Carmargo Correa have undertaken the effort.Bus services and private tours are booming and Cusco’s tourism board now estimates that as many as 60,000 Brazilian tourists arrive each year via the new roadway. That’s probably a bit optimistic but the fact tourist transits are increasing is obvious.
My post about the topic Peruvian Roads Lead to Tourism is over at Points South, my blog on Latin American construction at ENR.com.
thursday, april 09, 2009
Points South: The Fujimori Trial and Latin American Democracy
Earlier this week a court in Lima, Peru, sentenced the country’s former president, Alberto Fujimori, to 25 years in prison for human rights abuses. It didn’t take long after the verdict was announced for the “D” word to start appearing in headlines.The problem is, to describe Fujimori’s government as a "dictatorship" severely misrepresents the importance of what happened this week and, more troublingly, obscures the danger of such a regime emerging again in the region.
My post about the topic The Fujimori Trial and Latin American Democracy is over at Points South, my blog on Latin American construction at ENR.com.
sunday, march 29, 2009
Points South: The Destabilizing Influence of the Drug Trade
Drug policy is a key issue in many countries such as Peru, Colombia and Mexico due to the destabilizing influence it has in almost every level of society. The ability to invest resources in sectors such as infrastructure are intimately tied to the successes in dealing with drug trafficking.The success of the effort holds a great deal of importance for Mexico as well as countries like Colombia and Peru who have finally been able to put decades of uncertainty fueled by the narcotics trade behind them. The recent resurgence in the trade is something they hope is an anomaly not a return to a dark era.
My post about the topic The Destabilizing Influence of the Drug Trade is over at Points South, my blog on Latin American construction at ENR.com.
saturday, march 21, 2009
Points South: Peru’s Cement Industry and the Path to Recovery
At first glance, Peru’s cement market seems to be a poster child for the economic challenges facing Latin America in the wake of the Global financial crisis. Tight credit and dwindling profits have bitten the country's construction sector hard and with it, the domestic cement industry.Yet the mood concerning cement’s prospects is positively buoyant. Cement sales for January and February in Peru were almost 6 percent better than the same period in 2008. And with the prospect of the government’s $3.3 billion stimulus package on the horizon, there is every reason to believe the resurgence is for real.
My post about the topic Peru’s Cement Industry and the Path to Recovery is over at Points South, my blog on Latin American construction at ENR.com.
thursday, march 19, 2009
Machu Picchu
A plan to build an elevator to ferry tourists up to the famous 'lost' city of the Incas, Machu Picchu, has been proposed by the regional government in Peru.The regional tourism board for the Department of Cusco says the elevator will ascend 1,500 feet from the level of the Urubamba River to the ridge where the ancient citadel is located. (Tourists presently use a bus service that winds it's way up a dirt road on the side of the mountain.)
If built, the number of tourists could increase fourfold over the current daily maximum of approximately 2,500. That concerns many who feel the site is already in danger due to the influx of visitors.
My story on the project, Peru Proposes Elevator to Increase Access to Machu Picchu Site, is on ENR.com.
thursday, march 12, 2009
Latin America Infrastructure Development
Nations across South and Central America are taking a recognizable tack in their efforts to stave of financial collapse - stimulus packages. Notably, multi-billion dollar programs that emphasize infrastructure development.Brazil has inaugurated a $270 billion effort and is preparing a program to construct 1 million homes for low income families. Argentina is preparing a $21 billion package, Peru has pledged $3.3 billion and Chile is planning to spend $4 billion. To this effort the World Bank has said it will provide $100 in financial support for developing nations, of which a third is likely to go to infrastructure.
My story on the situation, Latin America Pinning Recovery On Infrastructure Spending Plans, is at ENR.com.
monday, march 09, 2009
Points South: Precious Metals Provide for Peru
As goes mining, so goes Peru. This Andean nation is the world’s No. 1 silver producer, No. 2 copper producer and No. 5 in terms of gold production. The demand for these metals over the past decade has prompted Peru’s economic resurgence just as the recent drop has put the country on a precipice.The decline in copper prices has hit the Peruvian mining sector hard but investors seeking safe havens in precious metals have helped offset the damage to the Andean country's economoy. So far, anyway.
My post about the issue Precious Metals Provide for Peru is over at Points South, my blog on Latin American construction at ENR.com.
tuesday, february 10, 2009
Peruvian Dinosaur Tracks
The construction of a road in the central highlands of Peru has uncovered hundreds of dinosaur tracks and fossils estimated at more than more than 120 million years old.The discovery was made in 2006 when workers with the Peruvian mining company Antamina were starting work on a road in the Ancash region about 250 miles northeast of Lima. Hundreds of tracks and fossils from dozens of animals - herbivores and carnivores of all sizes - have since been excavated at the site now called Cruz Planta.
My story on the find as well as a similar one made recently in Argentina, Dinosaur Tracks Uncovered During Peru Road Construction, is over at ENR.com.
thursday, january 08, 2009
Points South: The Uncertain Outlook for Commodities
As 2009 begins with a mighty lurch and roll toward a rather ominous unknown given the economic turmoil of the past several months. For construction worldwide the big question remains in the fate of commodities – whither goest they goeth the fate of the industry.The 2008 global credit crisis sparked a plunge in commodity prices which fell 36 percent in the resulting drop in demand. Many items such as oil, natural gas and copper reached historic highs during mid-summer before plummeting to dismal lows by the end of the year. That was dour news for Latin American countries whose economies depend on those items.
My post about the topic The Uncertain Outlook for Commodities is over at Points South, my blog on Latin American construction at ENR.com.
monday, december 22, 2008
Points South: Peru's Painful Past and Perilous Present
The darkening economic prospects for many Latin American countries have rekindled concerns about social conflicts, possibly even reigniting insurgencies that claimed the lives of tens of thousands not so long ago.In Peru, the economic malaise during the 1980s fueled the conflict launched by Marxist groups such as the Shining Path. For huge swaths of the population trapped in poverty, armed rebellion was a viable alternative. Those groups have long been moved to the periphery but the conditions that allowed them to emerge in the first place could spur others to follow their bloody example
My post about the topic Peru's Painful Past and Perilous Present is over at Points South, my blog on Latin American construction at ENR.com.
thursday, october 16, 2008
Points South: Peru Swims Against the Economic Tide
Peru’s economic history is a litany of boom and bust – the ages of guano, nitrates, rubber and oil have each brought eras of prosperity to the Andean nation and were all followed by disastrous ruin. The country's gains fueled by the recent commodity boom might prove to be an exception.The security brought by the high prices of metals and hydrocarbons has put Peru in an unprecedented economic upswing that, in recent months, has flown in the face of regional and global financial turmoil. Still the obstacles facing the country internally and externally are immense.
My post on the topic Peru Swims Against the Economic Tide is over at Points South, my blog on Latin American construction for ENR.com.
thursday, october 02, 2008
Points South: Developing Economies Keep a Nervous Eye on China
China's unprecedented era of growth in the construction sector has fueled a ravenous demand for commodities. That boom, in turn, led to skyrocking prices for base metals has pushed Peru, Chile and Brazil (not to mention Australia) into new eras of prosperity.But the global economic slowdown has arrived in the East and the slowdown in China's construction sector has led to a drop in commodity prices. Even worse, the pressure on Chinese financial system grappling with the worldwide credit crunch suggests the situation isn't likely to turn around soon.
My post on the topic Developing Economies Keep a Nervous Eye on China is over at Points South, my blog on Latin American construction for ENR.com.
tuesday, august 12, 2008
Points South: Jatropha, A Biodiesel Case Study
Jatropha is an inedible Central American shrub typically grown to help with soil conservation. In recent years it's become renowned as a source of biodiesel. The non-edible seeds of the plant contain a high-proportion of oil that can be converted into fuel.Jatropha has gained a certain celebrity status in recent months as its seemingly ideal properties as a fuel solution have been revealed. One Peruvian entrepreneur is betting the plant can be grown in the Andean country and transformed into a profitable niche for the nation's burgeoning biodiesel industry.
My post on the topic Jatropha, A Biodiesel Case Study is over at Points South, my blog on Latin American construction for ENR.com.
thursday, august 07, 2008
Points South: Incan Ingenuity
The Incas were engineers without peer. The great terraces and water works they constructed have abided for more than half-a-millennium because of their expertise.The works of the Inca are all the more incredible when you recall they were built without the benefit of draft animals and a complete lack of mortaring. Moreover many modern engineering works are now replicating their strategies, although more often it’s for practical reasons rather than any type of direct influence.
My post on the topic Incan Ingenuity is over at Points South, my blog on Latin American construction for ENR.com.
thursday, august 07, 2008
Machu Picchu
Last week, the American Society of Civil Engineers dedicated a plaque designating Peru's famed "lost city" of the Incas - Machu Picchu - part of the organization's Historic Civil Engineering Landmark Program.The honor was partially fueled by the zeal of ASCE member Kenneth Wright who has, with his wife Ruth, documented the engineering expertise of the Andean civilization.
Because, as visually stunning as Machu Picchu is to the casual visitor, it possesses a similar magnificence for trained engineers who can marvel at the achievement it's construction five hundred years ago represented.
According to the Wrights, as much as 60 percent of the building effort went to site preparation, drainage and foundations. Almost half the work that went into the site lies below the surface itself. read more
saturday, july 05, 2008
Points South: Tourism Bolsters Latin American Development
For many Latin American countries, tourism is a leading economic industry and their financial fortunes are tied to those of the visitors. As personal budgets felt the pinch in the wake of the worldwide financial downturn, hotels and tour guides were left wanting. Yet things seem to be looking up.Finances are showing some recovery and many foreigners looking for travel destinations are recognizing their money goes farther in Latin America than other more pricy locales. As a result, many firms are investing in upgrades and improvements to be ready for the hoped-for return of the tourist.
My post on the topic Tourism Bolsters Latin American Development is over at Points South, my blog on Latin American construction for ENR.com.
tuesday, june 17, 2008
Points South: The Roots of Social Unrest in Peru
Since 2001, Peru has enjoyed a growing economy fueled primarily by the mining sector. A controlled fiscal policy targeting infrastructure development and buying back of debt has allowed the Andean nation to reach investment grade.Yet for many of Peru’s poorest living in rural areas, the progress is difficult to see particularly in comparison with the continued economic largess of the more affluent regions. The result of their dissatisfaction are street protests and strikes which can lead to political instability.
My post on the topic The Roots of Social Unrest in Peru is over at Points South, my blog on Latin American construction for ENR.com.
wednesday, may 28, 2008
The Los Olmos Project
The coast of Peru is a barren scrubland which proves fantastically bountiful when water is brought to it. And, for centuries, the problem of how to bring the abundant waters on the Amazon side of the Andes to the Pacific coast has perplexed engineers.Today, the Brazilian construction firm Odebrecht is working on a massive $190 million irrigation project that will dam the Huancabamba River on the western side of the Northern Peruvian Andes and then funnel the water through the mountains to the dry Los Olmos riverbed. To do this a 20-kilometer-long tunnel is being bored through the continental divide.
Although the unshielded Robbins gripper TBM is tunneling through one of the lowest reaches of the Andes, it is still one of the deepest tunneling projects in the world with 6,890 feet of overburden at it's deepest point. It is bested by only the Gotthard Base tunnel in Switzerland buy just a few hundred feet. read more
wednesday, may 28, 2008
The InterOceanic Highway
The sheer elevation of the Peruvian Andes makes the challenge of building a highway across them a formidable one. Paving a road at elevations touching 16,000 feet means looking for unique solutions and that's precisely the tack being taken by a company trying to complete the first trans-oceanic highway across the breadth of South America.Conirsa, a consortium led by Brazilian construction firm Odebrecht, is working on two of the five components of the $1.3 billion InterOceanic Highway project through Southern Peru, including one across the high Andes south of Cusco. The extreme elevation means drastically cold temperatures which cut heavily into the available time to pave each day - halving it in most cases.
The solution is a unique machine dubbed "The Dragon" which heats the road surface prior to paving and a huge heated tent that keeps the prepared asphalt warm enough in the frigid mountain air to be useable. Last year these two measures recouped more than $1 million for the consortium. read more
friday, may 09, 2008
Points South: The Dangers of the Expanding Construction Sector in Peru
The recent period of economic prosperity in Peru has been marked by a massive boom in the country’s construction sector. But that prosperity has also been noticed by more unscrupulous elements.Corruption is rife both in terms of direct bribes as well as groups that disrupt projects by generating disputes though the unions using legal means. Many of the organized groups identified by police work in the port city of Callao which has seen a boom in construction work with the inauguration of work on the Muelle Sur Container Terminal.
My post on the topic The Dangers of the Expanding Construction Sector in Peru is over at Points South, my blog on Latin American construction for ENR.com.
saturday, may 03, 2008
Points South: The Uranium Dilemma
In many countries, uranium mining is a radioactive topic. Even though demand for the resource is expected to grow as more countries look to nuclear power to handle energy demand, environmental concerns and governmental pressure have kept mining at a minimum in many places.In many places negative perception of the mining process has led to governmental pressures on the industry. That's not the case in Peru where efforts to capitalize on the expected demand on the resource are not only well underway but actively supported by the government.
My post on the topic The Uranium Dilemma is over at Points South, my blog on Latin American construction for ENR.com.
wednesday, april 23, 2008
Points South: Machu Picchu's Perilous Future
Peru's famed "lost city of the Incas," Machu Picchu, is the biggest tourism draw in all of South America. That designation isn't likely to change as the the number of tourists visiting the site continues to grow dramatically every year.Yet there are concerns that the sheer number of visitors -- as many as 2,000 each day, pose a threat to the site's preservation. Moreover, number of visitors has created a building boom in the nearby town that services the site, Aguas Calientes, and a new access to the location was recently created with a construction of a nearby bridge.
My post on the topic Machu Picchu's Perilous Future is over at Points South, my blog on Latin American construction for ENR.com.
wednesday, april 16, 2008
Points South: South American Flooding Pushes Infrastructure to the Brink
For the past four months South America has been struggling to cope with massive rainfalls which have claimed hundreds of lives, left thousands homeless and pushed infrastructure to the brink.The countries most severely affected have been Bolivia, Peru and Ecuador. In addition, northwest Argentina and the Brazilian Amazon have also seen localized by flooding. While emergency resources are already being pushed to the brink by the inclement weather, forecasters say they expect the situation to continue through July.
My post on the topic South American Flooding Pushes Infrastructure to the Brink is over at Points South, my blog on Latin American construction for ENR.com.
monday, december 17, 2007
Points South: Peruvian Construction Accident Uncovers Hard Truths
Last week, eight construction workers were killed and one seriously injured working on an unlicensed construction job in the Lima suburb of La Victoria. The public outcry prompted calls for increasing safety regulations and bolstering inspections but Peru has taken both steps recently.Most major firms comply with safety regulation but the problem is that one of the reasons for the enormous growth in the nation's construction sector is the proliferation of "informal" businesses that ignore such regulation. Addressing the problem is a question of reforming the overall system not just beefing up regulations.
My post on the topic Peruvian Construction Accident Uncovers Hard Truths is over at Points South, my blog on Latin American construction for ENR.com.
friday, december 07, 2007
Points South: Inside the Peru-US Free Trade Agreement
Earlier this week a long-awaited free trade agreement with Peru passed its final major hurdle by being passed by the United States Senate. Although US trade with the Andean nation is relatively small – about $8 billion last year – it marks a significant political victory for the Bush administration and a major economic one for the Peruvians.The treaty will allow existing tariff deferments linked to anti-drug initiatives to remain in place allowing the South American country to remain competitive with neighboring nations that already have free-trade agreements with the US. But it also marks a victory of the Bush administration in the effort to bypass failed regional trade agreements.
My post on the topic Inside the Peru-US Free Trade Agreement is over at Points South, my blog on Latin American construction for ENR.com.
wednesday, october 03, 2007
Points South: Watching out for South America's Rivers
As energy demands across South America have increased in recent decades, governments have pursued large-scale power generating schemes. Massive hydroelectric projects have been fast-tracked with minimal oversight. Glen Switkes of Berkley, California-based International Rivers Network is one of the region's watchdog organizations, organizing efforts demanding greater accountability on these projects.Too often, the group says, governments are overlooking the downside of hydroelectric development such as the flooding of native forests, the blocking of fish migrations and the fact they present a barriers for the spreading of sediments which are important for enriching floodplains downstream.
My interview with Switkes Watching out for South America's Rivers is over at Points South, my blog on Latin American construction for ENR.com.
tuesday, september 04, 2007
The Interoceanic Highway
Last week Peru awarded the final two contracts of the 2,500 kilometer Interoceanic Highway project to a par of consortia comprised of Peruvian contractors. Consorcio Interocánica and Concesionaria del Sur will handle the repair of more than 1,000 kilometers of existing paved roads that lead to three costal cities.The two contracts are valued at $285 million. Work on the three contracts that include the building new road across the difficult mountain and jungle terrain of Southern Peru began two years ago. Peruvian officials say the final pair of contracts, although almost a year behind schedule, will be completed by the 2009 deadline for the entire project.
My story on the issue, Final Two Sections Awarded For Transandean Highway, is on ENR.com. A sidebar looking at progress repairing roads in the wake of the 8.0 magnitude earthquake that struck three weeks ago, After Quake, Crews Scramble To Fix PanAm Highway, is online as well. read more
tuesday, august 28, 2007
Points South: After Quake, Peru Moves Forward
Peru has slowly begun to grapple with the aftermath of the deadly quake that struck the southern portion of the country earlier this month. More than 500 people were killed, many more suffered injuries and untold thousands remain homeless.The Peruvian government has formed a disaster assistance fund for rebuilding the devastated infrastructure, giving particular attention to the damage to the Pan-American Highway that has snarled efforts to transport aid to the region from the capitol of Lima.
My post about the topic After Quake, Peru Moves Forward is over at Points South, my blog on Latin American construction at ENR.com.
wednesday, august 22, 2007
The Peru Earthquake
After the intial shock of the powerful 80 earthquake that struck southern Peru on Aug. 15 began to receed, rescue efforts ground into gear.At first the focus was rescuing the survivors, then it became the grim task of recovering bodies.
Providing aid to those living in the shattered wreckage was a monumental problem from the first hours as well. Water, food and medical supplies for the thousands who remained in the devastated area were extremely limited.
On the third day the goverment began looking for engineers to help the clean up and start the rebuilding. It will be a daunting task. Whole cities lie in ruins and the region's infrastructure is in tatters. Basic services and access to region is spotty or nonexistant.
My story on the situation, Cleanup and Reconstruction From Peru Quake May Take Years, is in this week's issue of Engineering News-Record (It also features a slightly different slide-show of the devastation). In addition, my account of my visit to the disaster zone, Life in the ruins of Peru, is recounted on my ENR.com blog, Points South. read more
wednesday, august 08, 2007
Points South: Bolstering Latin America's airport infrastructure
As the economic fortunes of various Latin American countries have improved the demand for air travel has surged as well and, in almost every case, outstripping the rapidly aging infrastructure for that service. With limited upgrades to the existing facilities, delays and flight cancellations have become a constant annoyance.Some countries, such as Brazil, Mexico and Peru, have experimented with privatizing airport services and almost all have belatedly poured funding into infrastructure due to concerns about travel safety. Particularly in those countries who are dependent on tourism.
My post about the topic Bolstering Latin America's airport infrastructure is over at Points South, my blog on Latin American construction at ENR.com.
tuesday, july 17, 2007
Points South: And Into the Fire
The debate about climate change remains as heated as ever but for many Latin American countries the issue has become one of immediate policy. Changing environmental conditions are quickly becoming less a problem of political nicety but practical policy making.The rapid decrease in the polar icecap has created new shipping lanes across the northermost regions of the globe which is already raising questions on how they will affect southerly routes -- particularly those reliant on the Panama Canal. Andean nations have seen enormous reduction in glaciers raising serious concerns of the availability of fresh water in just a few decades.
My post on the topic And Into the Fire is over at Points South, my blog on Latin American construction for ENR.com.
thursday, july 05, 2007
Interoceanic Highway
After the rainy season eased off earlier this year, construction crews went back to work on the $1.3 billion Interoceanic Highway in Southern Peru.Turns out, things have come quite a ways since my visit to the project last year.
Conirsa, the Odebrecht-led consortium building two sections of the road totaling more than 700 kilometers, was able to pave more than 100 kilometers before the weather turned bad - but now they are facing new obstacles.
The roadway in the deep jungle is succeptible to cracking due to the lack of aggrigate. The company says the cracking isn't a thread to the road's stability but it has had to implement various measures to retard the process including sealing the fissures with an asphalt/polymer prior to pavement. read more
monday, april 23, 2007
Julio Cusurichi and the plight of Peru's indigenous peoples
On Sunday, Julio Cusurichi – a Shipiro Indian from the Madre de Dios region of Peru – was awarded the Goldman Prize, one of the most prestigious awards for environmental activism.Cusurichi was recognized for his work with the Native Federation of Madre de Dios, known as FENAMAD, in creating a 3,000-square-mile reserve in the Southern Peruvian jungle for tribes that choose to have no contact with the outside world.
Loggers looking to harvest valuable old-growth mahogany have encroached on these peoples in recent years, and the result has been devastating to the tribes. They are vulnerable to outside disease and reports of violence against them are becoming more common.
My story on the award and the problem of illegal mahogany logging in Peru, The mahogany wars of Peru's rain forests, is in Sunday’s edition of The San Francisco Chronicle. read more
monday, january 08, 2007
InterOceanic Highway
The InterOceanic Highway project is a $1.3 billion effort to complete a paved road through Southern Peru that is the final link in a mid-South American ocean-to-ocean roadway.Two consortiums led by Brazilian construction giants Odebrecht and Carmargo Correa have undertaken the effort which is slated for completion in 2009.
This road crosses the Peruvian Andes reaching elevations in excess of 14,500 feet and winds through the dense Amazonian rainforest where annual rainfall can exceed 10 feet.
Last year I toured the three sections under construction and wrote a series of stories about the project for Engineering News-Record that are available in this week's issue of the magazine.
The first, South American Project Stretches Ocean to Ocean, is an overview of the entire project and examines the obstacles the engineers are facing to complete it. read more
tuesday, november 14, 2006
Points South: Trade Pacts Will Be Affected by Democrats' Gains
With the dramatic swing of power in the U.S. Congress, the future of a number of trade agreements with South American countries hang in the balance — a significant concern for several countries depending on the legislation to maintain economic growth.Several countries, including Peru, Colombia, Ecuador and Bolivia have been seeking bilateral trade pacts with the US as they face the loss of preferred trade status due to the expiration of the Andean Trade Promotion and Drug Eradication Act. While Republicans have supported the agreements, Democrats have not and the shift in political power raises questions going forward.
My post on the topic Trade Pacts Will Be Affected by Democrats' Gains is over at Points South, my blog on Latin American construction for ENR.com.
monday, november 06, 2006
Machu Picchu
Living in Peru, you never stop hearing about Machu Picchu. Particularly as an expatriate since every gringo passing through town typically stops just long enough to buy a chullo before zipping off to Cusco.My intention was to go see this famed "lost city" of the Incas during the off-season,when the number of tourists was at a minimim. That's when the costs are a bit more reasonable and there is an outside chance of enjoying the place with a modicum of solitude.
No such luck. I ended up in Cusco for a few days at the tail end of July, during what is, by far, the absolute worst two weeks to be there. Not only is that the peak time for international tourists, it's also the weekend before the Peruvian independence day so there were a ton of in-country visitors as well.
read more
tuesday, october 03, 2006
Points South: Time for a Change
One of the most jarring contrasts between life in South America and the United States is the difference in how the two societies precieve time. Very often different cultures often have dramatically different perceptions of time, which he divides into "event time" and "clock time." The former, common in Latin America, conducts life as events occur while the latter adheres to schedules that organize eventsFor U.S. businesses interested in becoming involved in Latin America this divide can be a formidable obstacle. Moreover, many in the region are starting to understand how much it can dampen their ability to catch up with more developed countries.
My post on the topic Time for a Change is over at Points South, my blog on Latin American construction for ENR.com.
wednesday, september 20, 2006
Points South: Hard Bargaining in the Peruvian Highlands
Mining, particularly gold and copper, have fueled Peru's recent economic resurgence that has allowed a focus on infrastructure development. Continuing that progress hangs on the stability of that sector. Yet mining has long been a target of popular protests as many indigenous groups have opposed the ecological damage as well as their inability to directly benefit from the massively profitable projects.Peru's newly-elected president, Alan Garcia, has already found himself embroiled in the controversy surrounding Yanacocha, one of the world's largest gold mines and, unusually, chose to directly involve himself in the negotiations. It is an interesting precedent for an issue that promises to be key part of his administration going forward.
My post on the topic Hard Bargaining in the Peruvian Highlands is over at Points South, my blog on Latin American construction for ENR.com.
sunday, september 17, 2006
Avenida Miguel Grau
After almost 19 months of work, the Admiral Miguel Grau Avenue in central Lima was opened to traffic late last month.The $18.5 million project (which I wrote about for Engineering News & Record in October of last year) consists of a 3.5-kilometer roadway with a 1.8 kilometer submerged section exclusively for buses. The project also included the construction of six traffic bridges and two pedestrian bridges.
The upgrade to Avenida Grau (also refered to as Via Expressa Grau) is the first step in a planned overhaul of Lima’s transportation infrastructure now expected to cost more than $272 million. More than 90 percent of those are passengers in the disorganized public transport system.
It is estimated there are more as many as 50,000 public transport vehicles fighting for the limited space on Lima’s streets every day. These are run by private companies, which don’t respect regular routes and battle fiercely for customers. read more
wednesday, march 15, 2006
Camisea Pipeline Woes
At 3:27 p.m. on March 4, an explosion ripped through the Amazon jungle in Southeast Peru. The blast - which injured two people in this remote locale - was caused by a leak in the almost 720km long natural gas pipeline - the fifth to occur since it was opened in August 2004.The leak and explosion have sparked a larger political furor over the project. Camisea is a huge part of Peru's economic future. The Camisea basin is estimated to contain reserves totaling some 8.7 trillion cubic feet of natural gas. The ability to extract and transport that resource will be critical for the country's ability to take advantage of the opportunity. But given it's cost and the ecological impact, it is a project that tends to bring out reactions in the extreme.
The recent problems with the pipeline have made the future of the project uncertain. The natural gas currently being recovered is used in Peru but the next step is the construction of a $2.1 billion liquification plant that will make it possible for the fuel to be exported. Dallas-based Hunt Oil heads the consortium of companies working on obtaining financing for that venture and, although they remain optimistic, the recent woes of the pipeline certainly haven't made that any easier. read more
wednesday, february 01, 2006
Peruvian Highways
One key problem for many South American countries has been the lack of investment into infrastructure. A key element of that has been the neglect of the highway systems. Peru and other countries who have enjoyed a recent economic boom have been working to address that particular issue with some success.Peru has more than 80,000 kilometers of roadway, but less than 15 percent is paved. Worse, many of the hardtop portions lack for maintenance while only 8 percent of rural roadways are regularly usable. The country is currently working on $2 billion in ongoing and planned road projects that are critical with the possibility of a free trade agreement with the United States.
Engineering News-Record has an interview I conducted with Nestor Palacios, Peru’s deputy minister of transportation discussing this issue.
friday, january 13, 2006
Peruvian Procurements
Peru has become a bit of an economic paradox.The government is viewed with almost complete disdain - evidenced by the abysmal approval ratings of President Alejandro Toledo, which are among the lowest in the western hemisphere. Yet, since Toledo took office in 2001, the economy has grown almost constantly.
One thing pushing that growth has been an initiative by the government to make more purchases from the private sector. It started during the 1990s, when the administration of Alberto Fujimori privatized a great deal of the industries that had been under government control. But many more mundane expenses - such as office supplies and fabrics - were still in house. The Toledo administration has worked to move these into the private sector as well.
The trend is driven by the need to lower the costs and to promote growth among independent businesses. But the system is changing slowly due to the lack of information on the part of possible participants as well as the ever-present danger of corruption. read more
friday, october 28, 2005
Avenida Miguel Grau
Engineering News-Record has posted another couple of stories of mine as well as a little slideshow of my photographs.For the last several decades the city's road system and mass transportation have grown uncontrolled and at an incredible rate. The result is an astonishingly chaotic system that makes travel through this city of 9 million a torturous task.
To deal with this, Lima has begun an ambitious $210 million project to upgrade the thoroughfares and create an efficient mass transit system. that will run 35 kilometers roadways from Comas in the far north of Lima to Chorrillos in the south. In all, more than 100 kilometers of roadwork is planned.
Although a relatively short section of the network, Avenida Grau near Lima's historic center is where the major roadways from each direction meet, making it the priority to begin the project. read more
monday, october 10, 2005
InterOceanic Highway
Daniel Villar is the head of Odebrecht Peru's ambitious InterOceanic Highway project that, when completed in 2009 will create the first paved roadway connecting the Atlantic and Pacific oceans in South America.The more than 700 kilometers of roadway in Southern Peru that is being completely rebuilt and paved crosses some of the most difficult geography in Peru - from mountains more than 4,700 meters in elevation to jungle wilderness that is completely impassable during the torrential rains of summer.
Odebrect Peru heads the consortium ConIrsa that is building two of the most difficult portions of the job. I recently sat down with Villar and discussed a number of the obstacles facing the Brazilian construction giant as it undertakes its portion of the $900 million project.
read more
sunday, august 28, 2005
InterOceanic Highway
Since the 1920s efforts to build an InterOceanic highway across Peru and Brazil have met with failure and disappointment. This month history was made when Peru awarded the first bids to complete the highway through some of the most difficult geography on the continent.It is an almost $900 million job that, when completed in 2009, will finally create a road connection between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans in South America. Brazilian construction giant Odebrecht will lead the consortium building two of the most difficult stretches of the road - over some of the highest mountains and into some of the densest jungle.
This week I have a story in Engineering News-Record outlining the project and what the undertaking will mean for the companies involved.
thursday, august 11, 2005
Snail farmers in Peru
A couple of months ago I spent an unusual day touring one of the snail farms that have popped here around Lima. After years of hearing my grandmother rant about the rampage these little buggers would wreck on her tomato plants it was a little weird seeing hundreds of them clustered on perfectly good greenery.But snails are big business and this little niche industry in Peru that is preparing to take the steps of becoming a major player in the world of snail trading. I penned the story for Latin Trade Magazine who have it in their August issue.
sunday, july 24, 2005
Peruvian Cocaine Trade
Since 2000, the United States has poured several billion dollars into South American drug interdiction efforts. The bulk of this has focused on Colombia where the trade has flourished in recent years.But the reduction of funding to Peru - once the world's largest producer of coca, the base plant the drug is derived from - has created concerns that the trade will return to the south. There are already indications that drug production has grown in some regions, an unprecedented occurance in Peru.
Cocaine seizures have shattered recent records. More than seven metric tons of processed cocaine was siezed in Peru last year, the most in a decade, and that amount has already been bested this year.
The Peruvian anti-drug agency DEVIDA says the drug trade is up and the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy says it is down and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime has its own opinion as well. read more
thursday, december 02, 2004
The Lori Berenson Affair
In 1995, an American woman in her late 20's was arrested by Peruvian police as she stepped off a bus in Lima. Since that day she has been imprisoned on charges of assisting terrorists and her plight has become the center of a political firestorm over human rights.Yesterday, Lori Berenson's final appeal before an international human rights court was turned down. She now will not be released from prison until the end of her 20-year sentence in 2015.
The decision (the last entry on the page) by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights brings to an end the judicial options open to Berenson but it is almost certain that her family and supporters will continue to push for her release through political means. read more
friday, november 05, 2004
King Kong - A Peruvian sweet
King Kong is a uniquely Peruvian sweet. It is a cake (or, more precisely, a brick) of milk and fruits that are reduced to a stiff syrup and then slathered sandwich-style between a sweet cookie-like crust.It hails from the northern city of Lambayeque where Victoria Mej�a is credited with creating the dish in the 1920's. Originally it was made to be a snack for men who worked in the sugar cane and cotton fields. According to legend, it received it's unique name due to the popularity of the then recently released movie King Kong.
Today Mej�a's family still makes the leading - and best - brand of the sweet, San Roque. And they are planning on it's popularity is growing beyond the borders of Peru. More than 18 tons were exported abroad last year and the factory has been refitted to increase that amount exponentially. read more
thursday, november 04, 2004
The Revolution Continues
Peru's nightmare has returned.Today, Abimael Guzman made his first appearance in court as part of his trial for leading the Communist terrorist organization Shining Path into a bloody revolution that paralyzed Peru.
Approximately 70,000 people died during the two decades of conflict of which slightly more than half were directly attributed to his guerrilla army. The total cost of the conflict has been estimated at more than $25 billion.
At 69 years of age, Guzman looks more like a kindly grandfather than the leader of fanatical band known as "President Gonzalo" who once promised his revolution would cost a million deaths and a "quota of blood."
I have written a story for The Dallas Morning News about the trial and the fears that Guzman may be using the proceedings to continue his war.(Enter "peruvia@peruvia.com" and password "peruvia") read more
monday, september 13, 2004
The Sticking Point
The desert of northern Peru is cut into swaths of green by the rivers that bring the runoff from the high Andes to the Pacific Ocean. This is incredibly fertile land - if you can get water to it. Since the arrival of the Spanish in the 15th century, sugar cane has been a hallmark of the country's agricultural output. No history of the country can ignore the effect of this crop and the industry that supports it.Today, that industry is hanging on for its survival and it looks to markets in the United States to survive. That is a dim hope since there is strong resistance on the part of the industry in the U.S. to allow free trade of the product. To them, it is a fight for survival as well.
In an interview this month, one official in the U.S. sugar industry put the relationship with Peru in this way - "We are both facing the same set of problems but we are looking at them from opposite sides of the fence." read more