Large observatory in Chile no longer threatened by industrial plant

Nobel Prize winner Genzel and nearly 30 leading researchers have been calling for the stop or relocation of an industrial plant

• Protection Call: Nobel Laureate Reinhard Genzel and nearly 30 international astronomers were urging Chile to protect the night sky over the Paranal Observatory and were successful.
• Threat from INNA industrial plant is history: The planned “INNA” industrial project will no longer be pursued. It included a port, various production facilities for green ammonia and hydrogen, and thousands of power generators on more than 3,000 hectares. The plant could have increased light pollution at the observatory by up to 35 percent and caused micro-vibrations that would interfere with the telescopes.
• Important research now secured: Astronomical research, including the GRAVITY project operating at its limits, is no longer at risk of being affected by the negative effects of the INNA complex.

A planned industrial plant was threatening the world-renowned dark skies over ESO’s Paranal Observatory, the premier site for cutting-edge astronomical research. As the American company AES Andes has now announced, plans for an industrial-scale facility just a few kilometres from Paranal will no longer be pursued. The firm is acting in response to massive, prolonged protests by numerous researchers who viewed the planned solar and wind park as a serious threat to one of the world’s most significant telescope sites. MPE Director and Nobel Laureate Reinhard Genzel was spearheading  an open letter  signed by nearly 30 eminent international astronomers urging the Chilean government to relocate the proposed INNA industrial complex.

35 percent more light pollution and microvibrations 

The letter warned that the INNA complex could increase light pollution at Paranal by up to 35 percent and cause disruptive micro-vibrations that impair highly sensitive telescope operations. Such interference risks decades of vital research, including projects like GRAVITY+,  led by MPE, which recently demonstrated the use of four laser guide stars to observe faint cosmic objects. On a neighboring mountain, construction work is already well underway on the Extremely Large Telescope (ELT), a research infrastructure of the future with the largest mirror diameter in the world. This telescope will perform highly sensitive measurements and, among other things, study the atmospheres of Earth-like planets.

“Darkness is what makes me see clearer. It is the medium through which I can observe the universe’s most delicate details,” says Chilean astronomer Eduardo Unda-Sanzana, emphasizing the global importance of preserving these pristine skies.

Compromise between green transformation and fundamental astronomical research

The scientists welcome the expansion of green energy sources with the industrial plant, but warn that the size and proximity of the INNA project poses an unacceptable threat to the internationally significant research infrastructure of astronomy. They respectfully call on President Gabriel Boric and key ministers to relocate the project and strengthen the protection of this unique scientific and natural heritage.

MPE, MPG/BEU, updated on January 27, 2026