Chile has begun the process of reforming its electricity networks, focusing on modernizing transmission and distribution rules and preparing a new bill that the Government plans to submit to Congress in 2027.
The initiative will be led by the Ministry of Energy and will have the support of the Infrastructure Policy Council (CPI), as well as technical assistance from the World Bank and academic Rodrigo Moreno.
The goal is to review a regulatory framework that is more than four decades old and adapt it to an electrical system that faces new demands due to electrification, renewable energy incorporation, territorial expansion and international interconnections.
Energy Minister Ximena Rincón stated that the process aims to move from diagnosis to a concrete stage of regulatory design.
“ Electricity networks are potential drivers of growth, competitiveness, development of our territories, the energy transition and, very specifically, the quality of life of people ,” he said.
The technical work will extend over the next few months and will combine sectoral discussion tables with regional instances and meetings with mayors.
The Ministry's goal is to arrive in December with a conceptual reform proposal , which will then be used as the basis for drafting the bill that should be sent to Congress in 2027.
One of the focuses will be on the system's ability to attract new investments and support an increasingly necessary expansion of networks.
The Undersecretary of Energy, Hugo Briones, indicated that the reform should aim for a system with better quality of service, greater efficiency in the use of resources, operational security, and adequate signals for investment.
He also stressed the need to include users in the new regulatory design.
Transmission, distribution and interconnections under review
The reform will not be limited to the internal workings of Chilean networks.
The Government also seeks to incorporate a long-term perspective on regional interconnections, at a time when Chile is working on alternatives for electrical integration with neighboring countries.
“ A country’s networks no longer end at its borders. Today we are working together with Argentina, Peru, and Bolivia to advance electrical interconnection ,” Rincón stated.
This component adds to a broader discussion on how to adapt transmission and distribution to a matrix with greater renewable participation and new electrical loads.
To that end, the process will incorporate representatives from public institutions, electric companies, trade associations, academia, and local governments.
The combination of technical working groups and territorial participation seeks to prevent the discussion from being concentrated solely on the major players in the sector.
The Ministry anticipates that the outcome of this work will define the basis for a broader reform on planning, investment, operation and user participation in the networks.
“This will not be a project of the Ministry of Energy, but a national project that will benefit us all,” the minister concluded.
With the process already underway, Chile is thus opening a discussion that could redefine during 2027 the rules under which its electricity networks will expand and operate in the coming years .