New transmission plan: Chile's Electrical Coordinator projects 43 projects in its 2026 planning

Chile 's National Electric Coordinator (CEN) published its Preliminary Transmission Expansion Proposal for 2026 , a technical document that defines the roadmap for critical investments in the country's energy infrastructure.

In this edition, the organization has recommended the execution of a total of 43 projects that add up to a reference investment of 647 million dollars .

The economic breakdown of the plan reveals an investment of USD 254 million allocated exclusively to 9 projects in the National Transmission System , while for the Zonal Transmission Systems USD 393 million is projected distributed across 34 projects.

The central objective is to minimize supply risks, promote competition and make the energy transition viable under demand scenarios that foresee an annual growth of up to 5.2% in the case of a massive deployment of green hydrogen.

For the National Transmission System, the Coordinator proposes 2 new projects and 7 expansions.

The strategy in the North focuses on resolving the high probability of daytime congestion in the 500 kV and 220 kV corridors.

To this end, the installation of new 750 MVA autotransformer banks is proposed at the Nueva Lagunas and Kimal substations, designed to allow the efficient integration of Variable Renewable Energies (VRE).

In the central zone, projections indicate congestion risks exceeding 30% from 2036 onwards in the transformations of the Polpaico, Lo Aguirre and Alto Jahuel substations.

To mitigate this, expansions are included through new transformation equipment and the increase in capacity of the 2x220 kV Polpaico Cerro Navia line.

Additionally, the construction of the new 2x220 kV Manuel Rodríguez Agua Santa line and the new Lo Curro Substation are highlighted, vital projects for improving transfers and security of supply in the Metropolitan and Valparaíso Regions. Meanwhile, the zonal planning covers the area from Arica to Chiloé, with the Metropolitan Region receiving the largest proposed zonal investment, reaching USD 132.6 million across 8 projects.

Within this package, the Coordinator highlights the replacement of transformers at the Santa Marta Substation , a project explicitly justified by the growth in demand associated with electromobility in the Maipú district , driven by public transport tenders.

A key innovation in this proposal is the incorporation of storage systems as a transmission solution.

In the Alto Jahuel Charrúa area, with an investment of 79.6 million dollars, storage systems (BESS) are proposed in the El Monte, El Paico, Panguilemo and San Rafael substations.

These technologies aim to ensure supply to customers and maintain network stability while other long-term infrastructure projects are completed.

The main table below details the breakdown of the reference investment and the number of works per geographical area:

Zone / System

Reference Investment (MM USD)

National Broadcast

57.5

Diego de Almagro Quillota

6.0

Metropolitan Region

79.6

Charrúa Chiloé

647.0

The report warns that the non-execution of certain works compromises the sufficiency and safety of the service in the short term, so critical risks were identified in the sufficiency of substations such as Molina, San Clemente and Linares in the Maule Region, and problems in the expansion of the Tamarugal S/E in Tarapacá.

Given this, the organization recommends evaluating the application of emergency mechanisms to accelerate the development of this critical infrastructure.

It should be clarified that the preliminary report is currently in the observation stage, allowing companies and actors in the sector to make technical comments before the Coordinator sends his final recommendation to the National Energy Commission (CNE).