Does Chile need a secure power supply?

Chile is a country in dramatic need of a secure power supply. Developments in generation and transmission have not kept pace with Chile’s economic growth and only energy-saving measures are preventing the grid from another collapse.

What percentage of Chile's power plants are under construction?

According to Central Energía, a think tank, and Generadoras de Chile, the association of Chile’s biggest power generators, only 11% of the projects that filed for Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) since 2003 are under construction. One notable exception is the Angamos Power Plant, the 2012 POWER Plant of the Year, developed by AES Gener.

What percentage of Chile's electricity comes from renewable sources?

SDC: At the moment, renewable sources generate no more than 3.5% of Chile’s electricity. Following the introduction of the law 20257 during the former legislature, power generators are obliged to introduce into the system increasing amounts of green energy. Its ultimate target is to reach 10% of electricity from renewable sources by 2024.

Does Chile need electricity?

SDC: The government supports all those projects that comply with Chile’s environmental regulations. What Chile needs is an internal electricity price that depends less on the global economy. At the moment, the country is importing 75% of the fossil fuels it needs to generate electricity.

Will Chile be able to get a GWh of geothermal energy?

Anglo American and Xstrata’s copper mine at Collahuasi is already in the process of tendering 60 GWh per year for supplies from renewable energy projects. Chile has one of the largest underdeveloped geothermal resources in the world; its potential could go from zero to 16,000 MW over a 50-year period.

Will Chile increase its energy capacity by 2020?

To address this issue, the government took an important step in February this year when it released a new energy master plan. Its goal is to increase Chile’s installed capacity base to 25 GW from 17 GW by 2020.