Central And South America

Energy system of Chile

Chile’s energy policy has evolved dynamically in recent years. In response to changes in the domestic and international environment, significant institutional and policy reforms as well as major infrastructure projects have been carried out. In 2022, Chile’s Ministry of Energy published an update to its the Long-Term Energy Policy (PELP, first published in 2015), which re-emphasises the pledge to net-zero, laying out a clear decarbonisation pathway that addresses all sectors of the national economy.

Based on its excellent renewable energy resources, Chile has taken a globally leading role in clean energy, and emerged as a world-class destination for solar and wind energy developers. Its legislation encourages investment in generating capacity across the electricity sector. The expanded role of the state in energy planning has helped to boost project development, especially in electricity transmission. Since 2017, the country also has a single interconnected national electricity system.

This frontrunner role is underlined by the governments pledge to net-zero by 2050, which includes closing two thirds of coal plants by 2025. This goal is supported by a Just Transition Strategy, currently being developed by the government. It also includes, for the first time, a focus on green hydrogen and electric mobility, in line with the respective National Hydrogen Strategy (2020) and the Electromobility Strategy (2022). The former aims for 5 GW of electrolysis capacity by 2025, while the latter lays out a goal of 100% electric vehicle sales by 2035.

Key recommendations, 2018