La Pampa Demands Mendoza Comply with Laws and Rulings on Los Nihuiles Royalties and Atuel Water

La Pampa's governor publicly responded to Mendoza's chief executive Alfredo Cornejo through a message on social media platform X, reframing the water and royalties conflict between provinces as a matter of legal compliance rather than subjective opinions.

The central claim focuses on two unfulfilled commitments: the 1992 agreement signed by Mendoza, La Pampa, and the Nation regarding royalties rights for hydroelectric generation at Los Nihuiles, which was upheld by the Supreme Court of Justice, and the 2020 Supreme Court ruling that orders Mendoza to guarantee the permanent flow of water from the Atuel River to La Pampa.

The Atuel Situation

According to the message, Mendoza has cut off the Atuel River for nearly 80 years, making it unfeasible for La Pampa to invest in developing that water resource. The governor emphasized that, despite being an interprovincial river whose waters belong to both jurisdictions, non-compliance with the 2020 ruling has persisted for six years.

Appeal to Institutional Order

La Pampa's chief executive closed his response by asserting that the province will abide by whatever ruling the courts issue and that institutional order is both proclaimed and enforced, underscoring that the claim is “so straightforward, yet inexplicably troublesome that demanding what belongs to us should cause displeasure”.