The story this week is dedicated to my friend and companion EPS Ferrol, Luis Carral, Who was that alerted me to the news. Having fulfilled 100 years since the birth of the Panama Canal, whereby, as I said a few months ago, they have traveled more than 1.000.000 Boat, the needs or interests of world trade are considering creating a larger map (tripling of Panama) and more modern, being located in Nicaragua. It is a titanic work, an inter-oceanic canal 278 kilometer, 105 which would pass by Lake Nicaragua. The Nicaraguan ambitious project has a prior construction budget of more than 50.000 million, that has already been assigned to the Chinese company HKND.

And in 1833 the first official mention in Nicaragua was held on the draft within a decree where the charge of the work would be done by Holland. After almost 200 years, this megaproject has come true and it is officially inaugurated the start of work on the project "Grand Canal of Nicaragua" which will include 6 sub-projects that made the company KHND Group: Channel (including the locks), two Ports, a Zone Free Trade, Holiday Villages, an international airport and several roads. Also, will build a power plant, cement factory, steel mill and related to ensure the successful completion of the Canal facilities within 7 years.

The channel will feature 278 miles long and has a width of between 230 meters 520 meters, with a depth of up to 31 meters. Your home will start from the Pacific coast of Brito, in southwestern Nicaragua, will cross the Great lake 105 kilometers and reach the mouth of the River Punta Gorda.

The construction of the entire project will cost around 50.000 million, you will need about 50.000 workers in the sector and provide 200.000 jobs, according to official data.

The Canal of Nicaragua will be three times longer than that of Panama and give new life to the economy of the areas spanning. His numerous complementary projects could turn Nicaragua into a commercial hub for the entire region.

In the area of ​​Rivas as a logistics mega project will create. Just a few kilometers from the coast of Lake Nicaragua's largest and most modern airport in Central America will be built, will have the outstanding category 4E that allows receiving large freighters and passenger and, for instance, Airbus 380 Boeing 777.

The approximate capacity of the new airport would be a million people and 22.000 tons of goods. A plus for the country as a transit center.

NUMBERS:

200.000 : The number of people of indirect jobs and about 50.000 for the work, according HKND.

50.000 : Those are the millions of dollars that is expected to require the construction of channel Nicaragua

278 : Channel kilometers Nicaragua.

7 : The number of years that is expected to last the work, beginning to operate in 2021.

27,6 : The maximum depth, meters.

230 -520 : Channel width in meters

5 : Is the percentage that intends to capture the global commercial transport.

100 : The year concession loan from Nicaragua to HKND.

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT:

Of note in this section protests arising from this great Latin American mega project by environmental concerns of the Chinese project. According to a report by Humboldt, Grand Lake Nicaragua over 8.000 square kilometers and crosses the canal during 105 kilometers cause irreparable damage to the ecosystem.

RESPONSE OF PANAMA:

Finally I would like to emphasize that Panama has already started its reaction announcing that begin next January reviewing plans for the construction of the fourth set of locks. In an appearance before the press, the administrator referred to the viability of the fourth set of locks to analyze the possible construction of a canal in Nicaragua. Quijano said that if there are investors willing to finance “70.000 million” that, judgment of the ACP, will cost the canal in Nicaragua, do the work of the fourth set of locks already foreseen in Panama gives a better option and return: “If anyone has the 70.000 million to fund this work (Nicaraguan), We tell them to come to Panama, that for a quarter of that investment will do the same with the fourth set of locks” Panama Canal, said Quijano.

He said that from next January a team from the ACP will proceed to review the draft fourth set of locks of the Panama waterway, through which the 6 % world trade. Ilya Marotta, team member, said that from January next year what will be done first is “update what already projected” for the fourth set of locks.

Previously he had already explained that the outer wall of the third set of locks serve for the fourth set of locks, that the ACP master plan was conceived as an option from 2020.

Remember that building the third set of locks is in charge of the consortium Grupo Unidos por el Canal (GUPC), led by Spanish company Sacyr and integrated by the Italian Impregilo, Belgium's Jan de Nul and Panamanian Cusa. The total enlargement program, initiated in 2007 and with an increase of 85 %, has a budget of 5.250 million, and should be completed in 2015 for the new channel start commercial operation in the first quarter of 2016, as said Quijano.