Chile: Minister Pardow announces goals to boost investment in the energy sector during 2023

PRESS RELEASE from the Ministry of Energy of Chile
January 10, 2023
(Machine translation of the original release issued in Spanish)

The President of the Republic, Gabriel Boric, together with the Minister of Energy, Diego Pardow , participated in the Annual Meeting on Electric Power, an activity that aimed to reveal the contribution of electricity to the country's energy transformation and sustainable economic development. .

The president highlighted the importance of comprehensive development in the energy sector, stressing that Chile has turned energy policy into a State policy, where efforts are made to have a green energy industry, in harmony with the needs of each territory and people.

“The just transition means building greener jobs and improving the quality of work for an entire community that previously had to be exposing its health. And I want to say it very clearly, clean cities and decent work don't have to be in opposition. Investment in renewable energy is a priority for us, as a Government, and we also understand the energy transition not only as a global challenge on which the survival and development of present and future generations depend, but also as an opportunity to rethink the development of Chile”, said the President of the Republic.

For his part, the Minister of Energy, Diego Pardow, announced what the main challenges of the portfolio will be for this year, which include specific goals in terms of authorization and development of projects.

“During 2023 we are going to increase the amount of environmentally authorized GW to 4.8 GW in generation plants and we are going to push investment projects for more than US$4 billion. (...) We are also going to increase the amount of GW that will enter into operation, last year it was 3.3 GW and our commitment is that this year 4.3 GW will enter," he stated.

The authority recognized that these goals are challenging, but, at the same time, responsible and require the deployment of work by the State as a whole. “We are mobilizing close to $1.6 billion together with the Ministry of Finance, as part of the Plan Invirtamos Chile, to reinforce the work teams that are capable of channeling these investment projects,” added Pardow.

This will imply the strengthening of services such as the National Monuments Council, the Environmental Evaluation Service ( SEA ), the Superintendence of Electricity and Fuels ( SEC ), the Agricultural and Livestock Service (SAG), the National Forestry Corporation ( CONAF ), among others.