The recent tour by Governor Gustavo Melella and Ambassador Wang Wei of the site where the new power plant will be built was not only a political gesture; it was the public presentation of Austral Petróleo Gas y Electricidad SA , the company created specifically to channel Asian capital to the island.

1. The Company: Austral Petróleo Gas y Electricidad SA

Formally established in January 2026 , it is the operational vehicle of two Chinese state giants:

Ea. Violeta: The company's headquarters are not in Ushuaia, but in the Ea. Violeta* Industrial Park in Río Grande (Route 3, km 2,820). It is exactly the same site where the controversial urea plant and port were originally planned under the administration of Fabiana Ríos . *It is often referred to as Estancias Las Violetas due to a mispronunciation.

2. The Managers: Old acquaintances from the "Tierra del Fuego Energy and Chemistry" project

At the top of Austral Petróleo's corporate structure appear the same names that starred in the failed 2008 petrochemical project, which ended in a 15-year legal battle :

3. The Financial and Technological Arm: ICBC and Huawei

The delegation that toured the construction site yesterday, Monday, included the real "muscles" of Beijing:

Geopolitical Pressures

Countries

US strategy

China's strategy

Financing

Audit and pressure on the RIGI.

Direct credit via ICBC due to lack of national guarantees.

Technology

Huawei blocked for "National Security".

Huawei's integration into the management of the power plant.

Infrastructure

Inspection in Tierra del Fuego and Neuquén.

Power plant anchors in Ushuaia and the main components coming from China.