lunes, 18 de febrero de 2008

IDC to invest US$18mn in El Tepual airport expansion

Concessionaire AAC-Icafal-Vecta, also known as IDC, will invest US$18mn in expansion works for Chile's El Tepual airport that serves southern city Puerto Montt, the country's public works ministry (MOP) said on its website.

Works will be carried out in parallel to the terminal's normal activities, as IDC will inaugurate the airport on February 19.

Scheduled to begin in late 2008 and end in the last quarter of 2009, works involve expanding the passenger terminal's surface to 9,900m2, doubling parking lot capacity, installing three new jet ways, and improving airport access, among others.

The works should consolidate El Tepual as Chile's second most important airport, as passengers arriving to the southern Los Lagos region grew 35% in 2007, up to 393,932 travelers.

Once works are completed, the new facility will create 440 new jobs.

Additional benefits are expected from subcontracts signed by the concessionaire and local providers of construction materials, tourist services and transport, among other sectors.

Publication: Business News Americas - English News
Provider: Business News Americas
Date: February 18, 2008

lunes, 11 de febrero de 2008

Fasa completes takeover of Benavides chain

Chilean pharmacy giant Fasa formally completes its takeover of Mexican chain Benavides this Wednesday. According to the chief of planning and studies at Farmacias Benavides, Esteban Rigo-Righi, the chain will open 100 new pharmacies over the next few months at a cost of US$40mil.

Fasa wants to keep sales growth ticking along at 20%, a percentage made possible last year by the opening of 74 new outlets for a presence across 110 Mexican cities. Fasa will hold 95.62% of the Mexican company, a stake bought from the family Benavides, and plans to retain its name. Jaime Benavides Pompa will leave his place at the boardroom table in April and then the family will have no further direct role in the chain.

Publication: SABI - Business News
Provider: South American Business Information
Date: February 7, 2008

jueves, 7 de febrero de 2008

Cerveza austral to export premium beer brands

The company will market its premium Calafate, Yag·n and Patagonia brands in select locations. It has already made small incursions into the lager market in the aforementioned countries, and the plan is to expand its reach. Cerveza Austral President AndrÈs Herrera said “the idea is to be present in each country, in at least 30 specialized locales where our beers will be sold along with those of the rest of the world.”

Based in Punta Arenas, Region XII, the brewery began selling its products in the southern Argentine province of Santa Cruz in July of 2007. By the end of the year, it had expanded its presence to RÌo Gallego and the surrounding area, as well as Calefate. The goal for 2008 is to cover the whole province and claim 10 to 15 percent of the market there. The company currently sells some 200,000 hectoliters in the area.

Herrera said the company is considering entering the market in other Argentine provinces with their specialized brands, if they have a comparative advantage. The competition from local lagers would be quite strong, however.

In Chile, the plans are to strengthen the brewery’s presence. It currently makes up for 1.5 percent of the total beer sales in the country and 8.5 percent of the premium market. In 2007, the company sold 72,000 hectoliters, bringing in US$12 million — a 15 percent increase in total volume sold over 2006. The goal for 2008 is to sell 85,000 hectoliters and bring in US$15 million.

Publication: Santiago Times
Provider: Chip News
Date: February 7, 2008

martes, 5 de febrero de 2008

AES Gener to modify Alto Maipo hydro project

Chilean generator AES Gener will modify its USD 600 million Alto Maipo hydro project as a result of consultations with local residents. The project entails the construction of two run-of-river plants including Alfalfal II in the Colorado sub-basin downstream from the existing Alfalfal I plant and Las Lejas plant near the confluence of the Maipo river and El Manzano marsh. The two plants will add 530MW of capacity to Chiles central SIC grid.

The changes will improve the environmental conditions of the project. The proposed solutions are technologically possible but will require more complicated engineering. All of the works previously planned for El Manzano zone will be relocated and moved 15km upstream. Works planned for the area include the machine house for Las Lajas plant. The two plants will be remotely run from an existing control center the company has for its Alfalfal 1 and Maitenes plants.

The construction of new roads into the mountain will be minimized and the new plans will use more tunneling machines. More than 95% of the works for the plants will be underground.

Publication: Euclid Infotech - Utilities News
Provider: Euclid Infotech
Date: February 5, 2008