Chile has made significant progress in transforming its energy matrix. The development of renewable energies and the decarbonization process have opened an unprecedented opportunity to move towards a cleaner and more competitive energy system. But this transformation poses an increasingly critical challenge: how to ensure that the territories where this new infrastructure is deployed become active participants in the transition, and not just passive recipients?
This question takes on particular relevance when we look at Chile's experience in recent years. Our country has developed a National Strategy for a Just Socio-Ecological Transition that recognizes that the energy transformation is not simply about closing coal-fired power plants and replacing them with clean technologies. It also involves addressing its effects on employment, well-being, communities, and territorial development.
But transitional justice cannot be limited to the territories where phasing-out technologies are located. It must also be present where the energy infrastructure of the future is being built.
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Chile is a leader in renewable energy generation projects and is experiencing an expansion of transmission projects. These investments are necessary to harness our energy potential, reduce emissions, and move toward a more competitive economy. However, when these projects arrive in territories lacking sufficient planning, effective participation, or mechanisms for generating shared value, conflicts can arise that ultimately affect both the communities and the projects themselves.
International experience shows that there are ways to address this challenge. But perhaps one of the main lessons is that participation shouldn't begin once the project is already designed. Early dialogue allows for a better identification of impacts, the incorporation of local information, and the development of solutions before positions become entrenched.
Communities should not be seen merely as recipients of impacts or beneficiaries of compensation; they must become “partners” in energy development. This requires transparent information, dialogue between companies, communities, and authorities, and concrete mechanisms to ensure that a portion of the value generated by investments contributes to local development.
This does not mean halting energy investment. On the contrary, it means creating better conditions for its development. The certainty a project needs is not only regulatory or financial. It is also territorial and social. We can develop the best standards for the arrival of new energy infrastructure. It is not about mechanically replicating an experience in all territories, but about establishing common principles: early participation, reliable information, territorial planning, ongoing dialogue, and shared value mechanisms.
