Chile readies energy efficiency bill

Chile's energy minister Susana Jiménez announced that the government is set to introduce an energy efficiency bill to congress as part of the country's 2018-22 energy roadmap.

Jiménez made the comment during a speech at an electromobility seminar where she highlighted that the legislative initiative will address electric vehicle (EV) performance and the interoperability of charging infrastructure, among other areas.

She added that an electromobility good practices guide will be published this month.

Jiménez also said that the transport ministry plans to add 200 electric buses to public transport system Transantiago this year, and has set aside 60 licenses for electric taxis.

According to local energy efficiency agency ACEE, under a "business as usual" scenario, EVs would represent around 15% of new car sales in 2040 from 0.04% in 2017, while stepped up regulatory and promotion efforts could increase EV participation to 25-40%.

In a related note, the country's energy efficiency companies association Anesco will hold a seminar on August 16 to present the use of tradeable energy efficiency "white certificates."