Astronomers celebrate victory as chile cancels $10 billion industrial project that threatened world’s clearest skies

The global scientific community is celebrating a major environmental victory following Chile’s decision to cancel a massive industrial project that would have compromised some of the world’s most pristine astronomical observation conditions in the Atacama Desert.

The shelved INNA project was a proposed $10 billion green hydrogen and ammonia production facility spanning 3,000 hectares. The ambitious industrial complex would have included a port, coastal transport infrastructure, and three large-scale solar power plants. While the project promised clean energy production, astronomers and environmental advocates raised serious concerns about its proximity to world-class telescopes that rely on the Atacama Desert’s exceptionally clear, unpolluted skies.

Scientists warned that the facility’s industrial operations, lighting, and infrastructure would have caused irreparable damage to astronomical observations in the region. The Atacama Desert is home to some of the world’s most important telescopes and observatories, which take advantage of the area’s unique combination of high altitude, dry climate, and minimal light pollution to peer deep into space.

After nearly a year under review by Chile’s environmental regulator, the project has been officially cancelled. This decision represents a significant win for the scientific community and environmental protection advocates who argued that preserving the desert’s pristine conditions for astronomical research outweighed the potential economic benefits of the industrial development. The cancellation ensures that future generations of astronomers will continue to have access to some of the clearest skies on Earth for groundbreaking space exploration and research.