Water law and allocation management is different in every country. As far as the U.S. is concerned, water management systems can vary from state to state. This reality seems to be in direct conflict with the nature of water and specifically rivers, in that they move and flow in a sort of continuum. This continuum is constantly altered by hundreds of different factors, organic and man-made, direct and indirect. Such an intricate system became even more complex with the discovery of water’s power in terms of human use. Through hydropower, economic gain became a reality, and through this, political authority.
Large energy corporations have developed an extensive international reach. They have become some of the most powerful players in terms of the global market, but also political systems. In terms of Chile, Empresa Nacional de Electricidad SA, or ENDESA, has developed and attempted to develop a variety of large hydro projects. Although ENDESA is Chile’s largest utility company, it also works in thirty other countries. Furthermore, ENDESA is a subsidiary of the Italian conglomerate ENEL, National Entity for Electricity, which is privatized.
It is becoming more clear to me that throughout the development of my thesis, especially regarding the more broad introductions to the water management sector, I will need to gain a more thorough understanding of this spider web of energy authorities.