The Chilean government is aiming to submit the electricity grid reform bill to Congress by March 2027 , as announced by the Undersecretary of Energy, Hugo Briones, during FES Government and Investment .
The initiative will cover transmission and distribution, sectors whose regulatory framework is more than four decades old. "What we want to do is provide legal certainty and allow investment to come to Chile," the official stated.
As a preliminary step, the Ministry of Energy is conducting a participatory process with representatives from Congress, businesses, trade associations, specialists, and communities. The technical work, which began in September, includes the development of a conceptual proposal by December 2026, with assistance from the World Bank and collaboration from the Infrastructure Policy Council (IPC).
Briones emphasized the importance of building consensus before the parliamentary debate and recalled a recent legislative experience that allowed a law to be passed in just 30 days. The Executive branch hopes to replicate that mechanism to expedite the processing of the new regulations.
This work is being developed in a scenario of strong renewable expansion, although difficulties persist in harnessing all available electricity.
According to statistics from the Chilean Renewable Energy and Storage Association (ACERA), between January and August 2026 , 3014 GWh of renewable generation cuts were accumulated, compared to 3125 GWh recorded in the same period of 2025. Although this represents a year-on-year decrease of 3.7%, the volume demonstrates the restrictions that the National Electric System still faces.
Meanwhile, non-conventional renewable energies reached a cumulative share of 42.5% in electricity generation during the first eight months of the year.
In this context, Briones acknowledged that the spills in the north are related, among other factors, to deficiencies in the infrastructure needed to transport electricity to other areas of the country.
The undersecretary indicated that the Executive is working to expedite authorizations through a committee of ministers tasked with reviewing projects whose execution could be accelerated.
These measures are part of the 2026-2030 energy roadmap , which includes six pillars, 25 actions and ten commitments, with special attention to strengthening infrastructure and institutional modernization.
However, the proposed legislation will not be limited to resolving transmission congestion. Briones indicated that it will also address distribution networks, with provisions aimed at incorporating digitalization, improving control systems, and enabling greater operational flexibility.
The update is particularly relevant given the deployment of energy storage. According to ACERA's report from July 2026, Chile had 2,655 MW and 11,250 MWh of battery storage in operation, while another 5,040 MW and 21,721 MWh were under construction.
The expansion of these facilities requires new technical conditions to manage electricity flows and maintain system stability, particularly in the face of frequency and voltage variations.
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Increased demand and hiring needs
The regulatory debate also coincides with a prospect of sustained growth in electricity consumption.
The National Energy Commission's (CNE) 2026 Final Bidding Report projects that demand from regulated customers will increase from 31,397 GWh in 2026 to 58,854 GWh in 2046 , driven, among other factors, by electromobility.
Electricity consumption associated with transport alone would increase from 179 GWh this year to approximately 11,000 GWh annually within two decades.
Regarding supply, the agency identified the need to continue with tender 2026/01, which includes contracts for 2,835 GWh annually for supplies from 2029 and 2030, in addition to new processes intended to cover subsequent requirements.
The CNE estimates that the next planned calls for tenders will involve around 19,300 GWh of baseload energy per year, while warning of significant contracting deficits from 2032 onwards.
In this context, the challenge will not only be to incorporate new generation capacity, but also to ensure that the infrastructure can support its development and the increase in consumption.
Briones argued that the reform aims to offer predictable regulatory conditions for investors and improve the efficiency of the service.
"We are not improvising on this. We have studied, there have been analyses and studies for years on how the diagnosis is made," he stated.
The undersecretary emphasized that President José Antonio Kast 's administration intends to implement the main changes during the first years of his term, with the expectation of seeing results before the end of his mandate.
Thus, March 2027 is shaping up to be the next legislative milestone in a transformation that must reconcile renewable expansion, investment needs, and the operational demands of an increasingly complex electricity system.
These challenges will also be at the heart of the Future Energy Summit (FES) Chile 2026 , taking place on October 28 and 29 at the InterContinental Santiago Hotel , with over 95% of its capacity already booked. The event will bring together government officials, CEOs, investors, and developers to analyze regulatory priorities, grid expansion, upcoming tenders, and a storage pipeline that is already approaching 40 GW under development .
The agenda will include representatives from the National Electric Coordinator, ACERA, ACESOL, ENGIE Chile, AES Chile, Statkraft, Acciona Energía, Grenergy, and Redinter , among other companies. One of the central sessions will be the panel “Public Policy Priorities for a New Stage of the Chilean Energy Market,” which will address the challenges of infrastructure, investment, and modernization of the electricity system.